Developing New Specialty Grains for Ruminants

SUMMARY Corn, soybean, and sunflower hybrids with improved agronomic and nutritional traits are grown widely today. Barring increased concern about genetically altered crops, production of specialty grains is likely to increase because novel traits possessed by many new hybrids are desired by both grain producers and grain users. Most specialty grains available today possess improved altered " input traits " that enhance either agronomic or production characteristics. More recently, hybrids with enhanced " output traits, " with increased value for specific users (millers, brewers, starch or oil extractors, livestock feeders), have been developed and are being released. Grain growers readily adopt varieties with improved input traits (insect or herbicide resistance) when they have an assured grain market. In contrast, grain with improved output traits usually does not increase yield or reduce input cost for the grain growers. Indeed, to realize their full nutritional value, grains with improved output traits cannot be marketed through " commodity " channels, but instead must be " identity preserved " both during production and marketing. To compensate growers for any added production and management cost (i.e., identity preservation of the crop; assays for specific traits) associated with producing grain or silage with improved nutritional traits, price premiums or production contracts between producers and users often are developed. For swine and poultry, grain hybrids richer in total oil, in specific amino or fatty acids, or in available phosphorus have immense potential. For ruminants, high oil grain hybrids can be very useful, hybrids with greater starch availability hold promise, and new hybrids with higher protein content or phosphorus availability may have potential. Although silage hybrids selected for leafiness and greater fiber digestibility often can increase milk yield by lactating cows, reduced forage yields currently limit their economic potential. Even though alterations in certain plant characteristics (e.g., higher grain yield, " stay green " , slow kernel drying rate, waxy starch) may improve the nutritional value of corn silage, management factors (stage of silage harvest, grain processing during harvest, inoculation) probably exert even greater impacts on the nutritional value of silage. Dairy producers and cattle feeders who grow their own grain or silage are ideally situated to use hybrids with improved nutritional traits. Only when the economic value to the end user exceeds any increased cost of production will the trait-altered grain prove beneficial economically. However, economic value depends on local conditions. Increased production and management costs must …