The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) and Miner Institute have released the results of the first comprehensive analysis of products that can substitute for corn in dairy cow rations.
Corn is an expensive (about $200/ton), starchy commodity often mixed into dairy cow feed rations. A Cornell University field survey showing that high-production dairies in the northeastern U.S. and upper Midwest were successful feeding lower starch diets prompted interest by farmers in Northern New York to evaluate economically-feasible replacements for corn grain in dairy rations.
With NNYADP funding, the William H. Miner Agricultural Institute conducted a comprehensive inventory and analysis of accessible and appropriate dairy diet substitute products that are easily accessible in the Northern New York region.
Project leader Rick Grant, president of Miner Institute, says, “The Northern New York region is well-situated to take advantage of regional opportunities for purchasing good buys on such products as soybean hulls, distillers’ grains, malt sprouts, and gluten feed as well as citrus pulp and whole cottonseed stored in facilities along the St. Lawrence River.”
NNYADP Project Results: Economical Substitutes in NNY for Corn Grain in Dairy Cow Diets