The potential and pitfalls of dried distillers' grains examined at Alltech's DDGS Forum
Published:November 3, 2006
Source :Alltech Inc.
More than 40 nutritionists, distillers, feed mill managers, journalists, and production managers gathered at Alltech on October 23 and 24 to discuss the ever-increasing role that dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS) will play in animal agriculture. Between current technology limitations and President George W. Bush’s “30 in 30” mandate, which challenges the United States to provide 30% of its fuels through biofuels by 2030, grains to feed our animals will be in higher demand.
But the question remains: is the increase in ethanol production good for animal agriculture? “Yes and no” was the consensus from those in attendance at Alltech’s Distillers’ Grains Forum. As corn prices rise to what some industry experts predict will be $5/bushel in the near future, it is imperative to analyze how we will utilize DDGS going forward. The challenges facing the industry are threefold: inconsistency of production, communication gaps, and utilization of new technologies.
Consistency of the production is a major concern of today’s producers. As they formulate diets, they must know the nutritional value of what goes into the ration. Under current production methods, DDGS or wet distillers’ grains with solubles (WDGS) are by-products of the production of ethanol. These products are highly variable, not only from distillery to distillery, but from batch to batch within the same distillery. In order for animal agriculture to better utilize these by-products, such problems must be addressed at the distillery level.
Communication gaps between distillers and farmers must be bridged in order to develop a product that is mutually beneficial and successful for animal production. Until that time, the industry will be operating at less than peak efficiency, a drain on the bottom line.
Finally, we must embrace new technologies in order to move the industry forward. Unfortunately, due to years of relatively low oil prices, little significant progress in cellulosic ethanol production technologies has been made in the last 25 years. We must look to products such as Allzyme® SSF to help stabilize and maximize the nutritive value of DDGS.
For over 26 years, Alltech has been researching and providing all-natural nutritional solutions to the challenges of the animal production industry. For more information, or for a copy of the proceedings, please contact your local Alltech representative for more information.
