Crop Biotechnology: Feeds for Livestock

ALLEN VAN DEYNZE, Biotechnology Specialist, Seed Biotechnology Center, University of California, Davis; KENT J. BRADFORD, Professor of Vegetable Crops and Director, Seed Biotechnology Center, UC Davis; and ALISON VAN EENENNAAM, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Animal Science, UC Davis. Most crops developed through biotechnology that are on the market today provide farmers with increased convenience and product quality while requiring fewer chemical inputs. According to the USDA Economic Research Service (http://www.ers.usda. gov/data/biotechcrops), herbicideand insect-resistant biotech varieties accounted for about 85 percent of U.S. soybean acreage and 45 percent of corn acreage in 2003. Livestock eat the meal from approximately 70 percent of the soybeans and consume 80 percent of the corn grain and silage grown in the United States (Etherton et al. 2003), making the livestock industry a major user of biotech crops. Plant breeders are concentrating on enhancing grains or protein sources to produce feedstuffs that will improve feed utilization, performance, product quality, and health of livestock while reducing production costs and environmental impacts. It is likely that biotech crops of the future will play an important role in this arena. This publication discusses potential applications and safety issues associated with such products.