When feed grain prices are relatively low, producers often wonder whether the added benefit of processing feed grains outweighs the cost.
“The main reason that feed grains are processed is to improve the digestibility of whole grains,” said Juanita Kopp, forage and beef specialist at the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler.
“Without cracking the outer barrier or hull of the grain, maximum microbial and enzymatic digestion cannot take place. If you process your grain you can mix in vitamins, minerals, other feed additives and it is easier to maintain a well-mixed ration from the mixer to the feed bunk because the feed particle sizes are similar.”
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The most common and economical form of processing is dry rolling. Dry rolling produces fewer fines or small grain particles than grinding. Fines are particles that are small enough to pass through a one millimetre screen. Too many fines can cause digestive upset, which may occur when there are more than three percent fines by weight in a batch.
A visual inspection of the grain may appear whole but by rolling it between your fingers, producers can count the number of pieces the grain breaks into. It is recommended that barley be broken into two to three pieces and wheat into two pieces.
“In terms of animal gains and performance, steam rolling has shown little difference than dry rolling,” said Kopp. “However, steam rolling may help process very dry or unevenly sized kernels and help reduce the amount of fines produced. It is recommended that grain be processed so that the majority of kernels are cracked. Some whole kernels may remain, but it’s better than having too many fines.”
The improvement of grain digestibility through processing depends on a number of factors: the type of grain; the extent of processing; the age of the animals being fed; and the percentage of grain in the ration.
In general, processing barley or wheat will improve digestibility by 10-25 percent. Processing oats results in only a five percent improvement in digestibility for calves and 10 percent for older cattle.
Studies have shown it is not economical to process corn because it is a larger grain that it is easily cracked as the animal chews. Work in Australia found that rolling lupins and peas improved digestibility by 13 percent.
“If a ration is made up of more than 20-30 percent grain, this can reduce the amount of forage consumed and would no longer be considered a supplement, but a substitute for forage,” said Kopp.
The cost of processing is important when deciding whether to process feed grains. Custom rate survey values compiled by Alberta Agriculture (Farm Operations Cost Guide, 2004) found that the cost of grinding was reported to be $22 per tonne, cost of dry rolling $20 per tonne and $35 per tonne for steam rolling.
As a guide, if you divide the cost of processing by the price of the feed grain, it indicates the amount of improvement in grain digestibility needed to pay for the processing.
Check with a feed mill or custom feed processor for the cost of processing in your area.
“Another thing to consider before processing feed grains is the reduction of shelf life. Dry rolled grains can be stored for about six months if processed in the fall or winter and as little as three months if rolled in the summer. Steam rolled grains have a shelf life of about one to two days due to the increased moisture content,” said Kopp.
“Other costs may include transportation, handling costs and how the grain is fed to the animals, either on the ground or in a trough. More grain is wasted when fed on the ground. Processed grains should be fed in a trough. If you have older animals with bad teeth, it is better to process the grain since they may not be able to chew as efficiently.”
For more information, call the Ag-Info Centre in Stettler toll free at 866-882-7677.
