If you've never fed distillers grains,high corn costs make this a good year to consider it, says David Schingoethe, South Dakota State University (SDSU) dairy scientist. Feeding distillers grains as 20% of a lactating cow's diet can increase milk production by 5-9% and be a lower-cost grain option, he says.

“One can easily go up to 20% of the ration as distillers grains, either wet or dried. We've got data supporting that you can go higher than that, too,” says Schingoethe. He and his colleagues have done extensive research on the byproduct that comes mainly from ethanol plants.

“If you go up to 20% distillers grains, somewhat depending on the quality of your hay or silage, you're in a situation where you can replace virtually all of the other protein supplements,” he says. “You could replace 85-90% of the soybean meal and 25% of the corn that you'd normally need.”

Distillers grains replace the starch from corn or other grains with a “readily digestible fiber source” and about 10% fat. That makes the byproduct higher in net energy lactation than corn.

“It's a fairly digestible feed but less apt to cause acidosis and digestive upsets than a high-starch diet.” Nebraska research on feedlot cattle fed 40-50% of dry matter as distillers found fewer liver abscesses and fewer cases of cattle going off feed, Schingoethe reports.

Distillers grains also contain“fairly unsaturated fats” that are less likely than vegetable oils to interfere with digestibility in the rumen.

“You also have the possible advantage of making a healthier milk” than with corn, Schingoethe says. Studies on fatty acid composition of milk from diets with 10% and 20% distillers showed a modest increase in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which can help fight cancer and other health problems in humans.

The studies also showed a production increase with both wet and dry distillers, ranging from 5% to 9%. “They tended to produce a little bit more with the wet product than with the dried,” he says.

But there are cautions to take, Schingoethe says.

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