Corn harvested for silage is an important feed crop on most Pennsylvania farms, where cropland often is limited. The crop provides livestock producers with a high-yielding, relatively consistent source of forage and the animals with a highly digestible and palatable feed. Corn silage produces more energy per acre than any other crop grown in Pennsylvania. Corn silage serves as a high-energy for...

and Implications A large pen study was conducted with a commercial feedlot to investigate the influence of corn particle size on performance of steers fed diets containing 35% (DM basis) wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS). Feedlot cattle in the Midwest are often fed distillers grains from ethanol production that are low in starch. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate a practic...

This research aims at developing a biorefinery platform to convert lignocellulosic corn fiber into fermentable sugars at a moderate temperature (37 °C) with minimal use of chemicals. White-rot (Phanerochaete chrysosporium), brown-rot (Gloeophyllum trabeum), and soft-rot (Trichoderma reesei) fungi were used for in situ enzyme production to hydrolyze cellulosic and hemicellulosic components of co...

Environmental regulations on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from corn (Zea mays L.)-ethanol production require accurate assessment methods to determine emissions savings from coproducts that are fed to livestock. We investigated current use of coproducts in livestock diets and estimated the magnitude and variability in the GHG emissions credit for coproducts in the corn-ethanol life cycle. The ...

Effects of corn silage crop processing and chop length on intake, digestion, and milk production were evaluated. Corn silage treatments were harvested at one-half milkline stage of maturity (65% whole-plant moisture content) and at 0.95-cm theoretical length of cut without processing (control) or 0.95-, 1.45-, or 1.90-cm theoretical length of cut with processing at a 1-mm roll clearance. Twenty...

Thirty-four isolates of Aspergillus flavus obtained from the main Argentinian corn production area were tested for their ability to produce both cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) on corn and on liquid media and aflatoxins on corno Aflatoxins and CPA were quantified by comparison with standards. The last one was confirmed by mass spectrometry. AII but one of the isolates produced CPA on liquid medium in ...

An experiment was conducted using 336 White Leghorn hens (60 wk of age) randomly assigned to one of four treatments that consisted of feed removal for 4 or 10 d or no feed removal with ad libitum access to 95% corn or 95% wheat middlings molt diets that contained supplemental minerals and vitamins. At the end of the 4- or 10-d feed removal period, hens on these treatments were provided with the...

Three corn hybrids harvested as whole-plant silage were evaluated in three separate feeding trials with lactating dairy cows. In trial 1, 24 multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square with 28-d periods. Treatments were conventional (Pioneer 3563) and leafy (Mycogen TMF 106) corn silage hybrids, each planted at low (59,000 plants/ha) and high (79,000 plants/ha) plant ...

Quantifying energy issues associated with agricultural systems, even for a two-crop corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) rotation, is not a simple task. It becomes even more complicated if the goal is to include all aspects of sustainability (i.e., economic, environmental, and social). This Issue Paper examines energy issues associated with and affecting corn/soybean rotation...

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-11 transformation event in two parental corn hybrids differing in date of maturity on beef and dairy cattle performance. Sixteen lactating Holstein dairy cows in replicated 4 x 4 Latin squares were assigned to four diets in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement: Bt vs non-Bt trait and early- vs late-maturing corn...