Kent Beef

Corn Milling By-Product Feeding

By the Kent Nutrition Department

The corn milling industry is generating a variety of by-products for beef rations. Generally, wet milling plants produce high fructose sweeteners, corn oil and starch, and alcohol. Dry milling plants produce only alcohol. So the by-products differ depending on what they are extracting.

• Gluten is a high-fiber product from wet milling plants. The fat and starch are removed. The water that the corn was soaked in is called steep. The steep is condensed and eventually added back to the corn bran (hulls) which is usually called wet corn gluten. Not all of the steep is added back to the bran and is often commercially available as a cattle feed.
• Wet corn gluten typically runs 40-60% dry matter and around 20% protein. But with the good you also get some bad. It is also high in phosphorus and sulfur so special attention to mineral balance in the diet is very important.
• Dried corn gluten feed is also available from wet milling plants, and the analysis will be similar to wet gluten feed. Dried corn gluten feed makes a very poor pellet, so care should be taken in feeding this product to prevent excess fines in the ration.

Dry milling plants will process the corn first, then ferment the grain into alcohol. The typical analysis of distillers grains will run 30-50% dry matter and 20-30% protein, but watch the fat content. Typical analysis of distillers grains runs 9-12% fat on a dry matter basis. Distillers grains can also be purchased in the dried form – often called dried distillers grains or DDGS. There is also a liquid product sometimes erroneously referred to as steep. The correct name is distillers solubles, sometimes called condensed distillers solubles (CDS). Almost all of the CDS is added back to the distillers grains portion, so very little is available to producers.

The value of these by-products in the ration should be considered before they are included in the ration. Products from wet milling plants will typically be lower in energy than corn and a rounded value of 90% of corn is acceptable. The fat content of distillers grains keeps the energy content of that product, as high or even higher than corn, so a value of 100% of corn is acceptable. Moisture content fluctuates in these products, which also affects their value. An equation to determine the value of by-products compared to corn is as follows: e.g. corn price is $1.80 per bushel at 86% dry matter. How much should producer pay for 55% dry matter corn gluten?

1.80 divided by 56 then multiplied by 2000 gives the price of corn on a per ton basis. Dividing that number by .86 (DM content of corn) gives the dry matter value of corn. Gluten is worth 90% of corn, so multiply the dry matter value of corn by .9. The dry matter content of the gluten is 55% so multiply by .55. This will give the price for one ton of wet gluten based on 90% of the value of corn.

1.80 / 56 x 2000 / .86 X .90 X .55 = $37.00
(A table is provided below for quick reference.)

With careful attention to total fat content, protein, energy and mineral makeup, these products can make a successful addition to any ration.

Kent® Gluten Aide™ and Gluten Aide™ II are designed to supplement feedlot rations with the inclusion of corn milling by-products. Gluten Aide™ in meal form was designed for a .5 lb fed rate for the high inclusion levels of by-products and Gluten Aide™ II is a pellet designed for a 1 lb fed rate. Either will supply the vitamins (including thiamine), minerals, and any medication combination needed for optimal performance.