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Sprout-damaged wheat can be used in cattle rations
Oklahoma The extra rainfall this summer may leave farmers with sprout-damaged wheat and with market discounts this may be enough to encourage cattle producers to consider this feed resource in their beef cattle rations. Wheat grain is an excellent energy feed resource for livestock and because wheat is typically used for human consumption, the price is usually higher than feed grains, such as corn and milo, said David Lalman, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension beef cattle specialist. "Test weight is not a direct indicator of feeding value in wheat, corn or milo. Low test weight grains have less starch with more concentrated protein and seed coat or fiber," Lalman said. "This is the case because protein is deposited in the kernel first." When the starch fill is incomplete because of adverse weather conditions, the protein concentration is elevated from 1 percent to 3 percent. Lalman said in various research trials, low-test weight grains produce very similar animal performance results compared to higher test weight grains. In general, when test weight is above 50 pounds per bushel, very few animal performance differences have been noted. With 45 pound to 50 pound test weight wheat a person should consider the feeding value to be 95 percent of the feeding value of corn, he said. Idaho researchers fed sprout-damaged wheat in backgrounding and feedlot diets to cattle. The sprout-damaged wheat composed 35 percent or 65 percent of the concentrate. By feeding different levels of sprouted wheat, there was no effect on animal performance or efficiency in these experiments. There was no difference found in the feeding value of sprouted wheat compared to unsprouted wheat in a Washington State University study. Research at Michigan State University indicated that sprouted wheat should not make up more than 20 percent of the total ration dry matter in order to minimize the risk of reduced feed intake. "Be sure to have an aflatoxin screening conducted on the grain if mold is present," Lalman said. "Sprouted wheat should be efficiently utilized in beef cattle rations, provided that aflatoxin is not a problem." Wheat and corn grain have similar feeding values, with wheat having higher protein concentration and more rapidly fermented starch, he said. Due to the rapid fermentation characteristics of wheat, greater feeding management caution and/or lower diet inclusion levels should be used. Lalman said producers should feed whichever is cheaper on a processed, bunk delivered basis. "Wheat must be coarsely processed in order to optimize digestibility. Low test weight and sprout-damaged wheat can be fed to beef cattle with minimal effects on cattle performance," he said. "Feeding lower quality or damaged wheat presents an opportunity to recapture some of the lost value." OSU Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet ANSI-3029, "Feeding High Quality, Low Test Weight and Sprouted Wheat," found at osufacts.okstate.edu can provide additional information on this topic. Date: 7/11/07
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