Kevin Herrick & Fernando Diaz
In 1996, U.S. distillers grain production was about 1.0 million metric tons. In 2016, it is estimated that U.S. distillers grain production will be more than 40 mmt. This is a 39 mmt increase over a 20-year period. As a comparison, U.S. soybean meal production increased by only 9 mmt over this same period.
With the volume and growth rate of distillers grain production, it comes as little surprise that we are discussing distillers grain nutrition. However, what may be surprising is how much variability there actually is in distillers grains and how this may be affecting livestock diet formulation.
Source of variability
Although the general process for ethanol production is the same in that yeasts ferment starch from feedstocks to produce ethanol, the exact process is complicated and involves many variables.
Factors such as facilities, management and overall business objectives are unique for each biorefinery, and as a result, co-product production and quality tend to vary.
Continue reading this article published in Feed Strategy.
