ADM, China Agricultural University Look to Replace Grain in Cattle Feed with Crop Residues
Innovative research could reduce cost of livestock rations, improve
food security for China
Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) and China Agricultural
University today launched a research program to confirm that a portion
of the corn in cattle rations may be effectively replaced with a mix of
corn processing co-products and corn stover ? the stalks, cobs and
leaves left on farmers′ fields after the harvest.
'A growing and increasingly prosperous Chinese population is eating
diets higher in animal protein, and driving higher demand for grain in
the country. As a leading agricultural processor serving vital needs for
food and energy, ADM is keenly interested in helping China ensure food
security for its citizens by making better use of the grain the world
already grows today, and by finding high-value applications for biomass
such as corn stover,? said Ismael Roig, ADM vice president and
president, Asia-Pacific.
China′s livestock currently consume about 112 million metric tons of
corn per year. Cattle producers may be able to reduce their animals′
consumption by more than half by using a mix of corn processing
co-products and corn stover.
In more than 20 cattle-feeding trials, which ADM has conducted in
partnership with three leading U.S. agricultural research universities,
researchers have been able to replace more than 60 percent of the grain
in ruminants′ diets with a mixture of stover treated with hydrated lime
? a common food ingredient ? and high-protein distillers′ grains without
negatively impacting the animals′ growth and development.
Because China is the world′s second-largest corn consumer, the
implications could be significant both for China′s dairy farmers ? who
may be able to sharply reduce the cost of feed in their operations ? and
for the country′s food security. Feeding cattle a mix of crop residues
and co-products can free up a substantial amount of grain for other uses.
ADM will fund the two-year research program, and ADM researchers will
work with Dr. Shengli Li, a world-renowned professor of dairy science at
CAU, to conduct a series of feeding trials at CAU as well as cooperative
trials with large dairy farms in China.
'We at China Agricultural University are pleased to join with ADM to
help investigate the potential to reduce dairy farmers′ cost-per-head,
and to preserve valuable grain for higher-value uses,? said Dr. Li.
About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company
(NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve vital needs.
Today, 30,000 ADM employees around the globe convert oilseeds, corn,
wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and
energy uses. With more than 265 processing plants, 400 crop procurement
facilities, and the world′s premier crop transportation network, ADM
helps connect the harvest to the home in more than 160 countries. For
more information about ADM and its products, visit www.adm.com.
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Media Relations:
Jessie
McKinney, 217-424-5413
media@adm.com
or
ADM
China
Juhui Huang, 010-57311588
