Ethanol Byproduct Used for Cattle Feed

Demand by the ethanol fuel industry is driving up the price of Corn and that s bad news for ranchers who use corn to feed their cattle But there s also good news Ethanol production creates a byproduct called distillers grains And ranchers and feedlot owners can use it to replace some of the grain corn and protein supplements in a cow s diet Richardton farmer Duane Zent says he s had good luck with distillers grains from the Red Trail Energy ethanol plant near the town He says it s cheaper than corn and cows like it But industry officials say demand might push up the cost of distillers grains And they say whether the availability of the byproduct leads to more cattle in North Dakota might depend on whether distillers grains continue to be economical