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Over the past decade, molecular science has developed corn grain hybrids which can increase energy and amino acid content, reduce waste management problems and improve carcass or product quality. 
Although some of these hybrids are not commercially available, hybrids with higher oil content and more easily extracted starch are in the marketplace. Since their commercial release, agricultural scientists have studied how these new hybrids could affect the cattle feeding industry. And they're pleased with what they are finding.According to Optimum Quality Grains, Optimum High Oil Corn has been proven to improve growth performance and carcass quality in beef cattle. "The success of Optimum High Oil Corn is well documented in non-ruminants, but until recently there was limited research conducted with high oil corn in beef cattle," said Dr. Steve Soderlund, Director of Beef and Dairy Business for Optimum Quality Grains. "This past year, Optimum has collaborated with several universities and private research institutes to evaluate the effect of feeding Optimum High Oil Corn to finishing beef cattle," he said. "These feeding trials show Optimum High Oil Corn delivers greater nutritional value, better gains and improved bottom-line returns when compared with regular corn. However, the most exciting attribute we found from feeding Optimum High Oil Corn is its impact on carcass quality." According to Optimum, the better results come in the way of improved marbling scores and carcass quality grades when compared to typical corn with no additives. In discussions with large cattle feeders, a dependable source of high oil corn was in question. With high oil corn acres projected to exceed 1 million in the U.S. in 1999, that's some encouraging news. According to research performed for Optimum at the University of Idaho in 1997, the carcasses from animals fed high oil corn graded over 70 percent choice compared to less than 50 percent on typical corn. "During the past five years, USDA Choice carcasses have been worth, on the average, $5.37 per hundred weight more than carcasses graded USDA Select. Using this average spread in carcass value, we found the value of an average carcass from a steer fed Optimum High Oil Corn was worth $5.97 to $7.91 more than a carcass from a steer fed typical corn without added fat in recent trials conducted by Iowa State University and the University of Idaho," Soderlund said. Feeding trials from South Dakota, Iowa and Idaho demonstrate that Optimum High Oil Corn can effectively replace 100 percent of typical corn and up to three percent of added fat in finishing beef cattle diets. The oil found in Optimum High Oil Corn is highly digestible with an energy value similar to tallow. Several studies are currently underway to examine various rates of inclusion of high oil corn and to test additional processing methods including high moisture corn. At this time, Optimum recommends that high oil corn be processed for best utilization. Ration formulation considerations made with high oil corn should be similar to those for formulating rations containing supplemental fat. |
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