NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
September 16, 1999
With rains sweeping across the region and a significant portion of crop still in the field, sprouting has become a serious problem. That may make grain unsuitable for use in the milling, brewing and food industries, but there's no reason it can't be fed to livestock, say North Dakota State University Livestock Specialists.
"As long as the crop isn't allowed to become moldy, sprouting does not reduce the feed value of grain at all," says Greg Lardy, a beef specialist with the NDSU Extension Service. In fact, the protein content of sprouted grains may be boosted by the sprouting process.
Lardy says no changes need to be made to beef feed formulations that use sprouted grain. Although cattle are fairly tolerant of the toxins that may be produced by fungi as grain molds, he cautions producers to watch for excessive mold especially in sprouted grain that has been stored. Producers may want to be cautions of feeding moldy grain to breeding stock because the toxins may cause abortions and other reproductive problems.
One way to avoid the problem is to blend sprouted grain with silage as it is put into a pile or bunker. "You'll boost the energy value of the silage and generally alleviate any storage concerns with the sprouted grain," Lardy says.
For hogs, the concerns over toxins are much more serious. Tom Socha, NDSU Extension swine specialist, says any sprouted grain that shows evidence of mold and will be fed to hogs should be tested for toxins. "You may want to store grain from different fields or areas separately to minimize the amount of grain with mold in it," he says. Representative samples of grain can be sent to the NDSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for a toxin screening. The cost is $75.
"Feeding may be the way to capture the most value from this grain and the cost of the test is good insurance against poor performance or death loss," Socha says.
NDSU Extension dairy specialist J.W. Schroeder says dairy producers can use sprouted grain in rations but must also be cautious of toxins. "Storing and handling sprouted grain as high-moisture grain in silos, trenches, bunkers or bags might eliminate many of the storage concerns," he says. If that's not an option, sprouted grain that will be stored should be aerated with fans to keep air moving through the grain to cool it and limit mold growth.
Schroeder notes that arriving at a price for sprouted grain is complicated by several factors. Test weight is reduced by sprouting, but protein content is increased. Mold or other damage to the grain reduces its value. "All those things have to be taken into consideration," he says.
Lardy says dry edible beans and other crops that aren't normally considered feed grains can also be used to feed livestock if they are sprouted. "Just do your homework and follow any recommendations for feeding unsprouted crops," he says.
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Sources: Greg Lardy (701) 231-7660
Tom Socha (701) 231-7950
J.W. Schroeder (701) 231-7663
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629