FOOD PROCESSING
WASTES AND
BY-PRODUCT FEEDS
We have been getting a consid
erable number of requests lately
about the use of food processing
and by-product feeds for beef
cattle. This usually occurs when
the price of grain goes up and alter
native, cheaper feeds tire sought.
It is extremely hard to general
ize about these feeds and what they
can do for cattlemen, but there are
a few comments that should be
made.
These topics include:
• Nutritional value: the only
way to determine if these feeds are
economically sound is to know the
nutritional value. This can only be
accomplished with a laboratory
analysis, and this should be.pro
vided by the seller. Of particular
importance is the dry matter con
tent because many of these feeds
are high in water and this value
must be subtracted from the total
value both as a transportation cost
and as a reduction in nutrient
density.
• Variation in nutritional value:
it would be a good idea to actually
see where and how the by-product
feed is generated to determine the
variability of the nutritional value.
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The best example is the cattle feed
er who was feeding some potato
chip waste, but noticed that his
cows went off feed every Monday.
A little investigation found that the
processor dumped his grease in
with the waste every Friday, thus
throwing the cattle off feed. In
some cases the products that are
available may vary considerably
from one day to the next This var
iation must be accounted for in the
cost of (he product and in the for
mulation of rations.
• The presence of foreign
objects: this is particularly impor
tant when feeding waste material
from canneries. Metal and/or glass
objects will often find their-way
into the waste in these operations.
Feeders who consistently use these
products will have a strong magnet
attached to an auger to capture the
metal objects. Some consideration
should also be given to material
that may have been treated with
pesticides or other chemicals that
could still be present in the
material.
• Adaptability to a feeding sys
tem: there are some products that
may simply be more trouble than
they are worth. A good example is
, the cattle feeder that depends on an
auger system to deliver feed to a
mixer wagon. One such feeder I
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heard of tried using some waste
candy bars and spent a lot of time
cleaning candy out of his augers.
Moisture level of the feed is also an
important consideration, particu
larly because dry matter intake
could be compromised when other
high moisture stored feeds are part
of the ration.
• Storage life and requirements:
the moisture content of many of
these feeds dictates oxygen
limiting storage for any length of
time. This facility may not be
available. Temporary storage,
such as in silo bags, is always a
possibility, but some byproducts
will require the addition of some
dry material to make the bags work
properly. Daily supply of some
products, such as cull potatoes,
may be small enough that no stor
age is needed.
• Ration limitations: because of
a number of factors, many by
product feeds have a maximum
ration value. The following table
shows some commonly used by
product feeds and their maximum
dry matter value of the ration:
By-Product Feed Maximum Ration Dry Matter %
apple pomance 25
broiler litter 35
fresh carrots 20
wet com gluten feed 30
dry com gluten feed 90
cottonseed hulls 40
thin stillage 10
bakery waste 20
wet brewers grain 30
dry brewers grain 30
cookies 25
cull beans 25
potato byproduct 15
whole soybeans 25
• Fermentation rate: many
byproduct feeds have high energy
values and may be cost
competitive with com. There is a
difference, however, in the source
of the energy. Potato chips, for
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example, have a high energy value,
but the source of the energy is fat
and high starch. This changes the
fermentation rate of these feeds for
ruminants. Feeds with higher fer
mentation rates require more pre
cise ration formulation, possible
additions of sodium bicarbonate,
and better bunk management.
• Opportunity costs: the value
of any of these feeds is based on its
comparable value with a tradition
al feedstuff. Some byproduct pro
tein feeds are of the “high by-pass”
variety and would have an advan
tage in rations under certain cir
cumstances. For the cow herd, the
protein values on a unit of crude
protein must be compared with a
conventional source such as soy
bean meal. Be sure to include all
the costs of using the product
including additional transporta
tion, storage, feeding, labor, and
“aggravation” factors.
Some specific feeding manage
ment to consider:
• Watch out for glass and metal
in canned vegetable waste.
• Do not mix urea with apple
pomace and ensile the material.
This has caused abortions when
fed to pregnant cows.
• Know something about the
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history of herbicide and pesticide
use o.i fresh vegetable and fruits.
For example, frosted vegetables
that were recently sprayed with a
pesticide may have excessive
residue.
• Poultry litter may contain high
levels of some heavy metals, parti
cularly copper. Many areas
already have high levels of copper
in the drinking water, and this
could increase the intake of copper
to toxic levels. Have the litter
analyzed for nutrient content as
well as copper levels.
• Com gluten feed usually con
tains high levels of phosphorus and
care must be taken to be sure the
calcium;phosphorus ratio is cor
rect when using high amounts of
this feed in the ration.
• Potato chips are high in salt, so
care must be taken to regulate the
amount of the material in the diet
to no more than 15-20 percent
This will prevent problems with
ionophore use with the high salt
levels, as well as regulate fat con
tent in the diet.
Many food processors are pay
ing for the removal and disposal of
their waste. Much of this material
has value as cattle feed, but care
must be taken to account for all of
the costs of its use.
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