In recent years, new and interesting products have gained popularity in cattle feeds. The products range from old dog food, to Honey Comb cereal, to sweet tarts, to pasta, to Cheerios. As farmers look for cheap, innovative ways to get their cattle fed, these alternative options have come to the forefront. While there are many random byproduct options, as more and more farmers are using byproducts as supplemental feed, outdated or excess bulk cereal from the factories is growing into a popular choice.
Barry Steevens, animal science professor and extension agent for the University of Missouri, said that cereals are often used as alternative feed because they are more cost-friendly. A producer can buy these cereals for less than the cost of traditional corn.
If you use cereal as a feed source, however, you must supplement with traditional grain. Steevens noted, "The cereals I recently looked at were 1/3 sugar. A producer is limited to the amount fed to livestock, as the cereal byproducts are rapidly fermented." Cereals consisting of starch as well as sugar and traditional grains (such as corn) offer mostly starch to the cow's diet.
There have been studies, particularly in dairy cattle, that suggest that a properly formulated ration utilizing cereal byproducts in an animal's diet can be equivalent to feeding traditional grains in terms of milking ability and gain.
Another benefit of using cereals as feed sources is that it helps the cereal factories realize some value for their byproducts. "Otherwise they would have to pay to discard the wasted cereal in a land fill," added Steevens.
If a farmer is interested in starting with cereals as a feed, Steevens makes this recommendation: "One needs a place to store a truckload of cereal byproducts and a way to incorporate them into the diet. Dairy farmers usually feed a total mixed ration and the cereal byproduct is added to the diet. Keep in mind there needs to be a cost advantage to go through the effort of feeding cereals." The best cereals are oat-based and those without 1/3 of sugar added.
In order to gain access to cereals in your area, contact a local animal nutritionist and visit the feed byproduct page at www.ozarksfn.com.
As a final thought, Steevens encouraged producers to be sure to analyze the byproduct cereal. It is important to know if the cereal has a high level of salt, oil or sugar. For example, granola bars have a high oil percentage. Also be sure to determine long term supply. Cows do not like their diet to be changed. The rumen microbes thrive under consistent conditions.
