A $175,000 USDA grant awarded in December 2003 will enable the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to embark on a value-added research program that capitalizes on ethanol co products and benefits the livestock industry.

NCGA will use the funds to do a feasibility study and, if appropriate, develop business and marketing plants related to the development of livestock protein blocks using ethanol co products as the major ingredient, said NCGA Livestock Manager Tracy Snider.

“We are developing a process to utilize solubles as protein blocks, diverting phosphorous rich solubles away from feeder cattle rations to range cow rations,” she said. “This project truly encompasses the focus of livestock at NCGA by developing a research program that enhances the corn growers’ profitability, diversifies ethanol co-products and reduces the impact of animal waste on water quality.”

NCGA was awarded the shared-cost, value-added grant through the Kansas USDA Agriculture Research Service office. NCGA will contribute $140,000 funded through checkoff dollars in cost share on the project.

“This is beneficial for ethanol as it provides another value added product from the dry grind ethanol plant. It is beneficial for livestock producers as it diverts phosphorous-dense solubles to brood cows,” Snider said.

Additionally, Snider said the program will improve the United States’ ability to export products from rural areas in the Midwest to other livestock producing nations.

The 18-month project will be conducted simultaneously with the research and development portion of the project and has three phases. Phase one encompasses development of the process; phase two will be testing of the blocks for consumption; and phase three assesses animal performance and weight gain.