Ethanol and <em>E. coli</em>, part II | Gristmill: The environmental news blog

Ethanol and E. coli, part II

Use of distiller grains in livestock rations has exploded

Posted by Tom Philpott at 4:49 PM on 05 Dec 2007

Read more about: agriculture | waste | energy | biofuels | ethanol

Yesterday, I posted about how feeding cattle distillers grains -- the leftover from the corn-based ethanol process -- seems to raise the incidence of E. coli 0157.

I was a bit vague on precisely how much of the stuff was making it into the livestock-feed supply. Thanks to the indefatigable Ray Wallace, I now know. The answer is: a boatload, and growing.

Ray pointed me to an account of a letter sent by the National Corn Growers Association to the USDA. In it, NCGA Chairman Ken McCauley argues that the USDA should continue its practice of barely regulating the distillers grains market. McCauley boasts that:

More than 12 million metric tons of distillers grains were produced and sold in 2006/07, up from 8.4 million metric tons in 2005/06. Distillers grains production is expected to top 17 million metric tons in 2007/08.

Wow. That means that in the current year, distillers grains use is more than twice what it was just two years ago. Maybe we should think a little harder before dumping 17 million metric tons of this stuff into the feed supply?

For story: Ethanol and E. coli, part II
4 Comments | Post a Comment

Hay

I boned up on some of the background here and acid resistant bacteria (ARB) as you mention has been an issue since at least 1985. Back then, CAFO supplements such as distillers grain had been known to cause high ARB levels. Several academic papers said that use of field hay a few weeks before slaughter resulted in very low ARB concentrations at the time of processing. I have no idea if distillers grain is used for cattle feeding up to the final feeding or not, but usually it is blended is certain proportions ... I don't think we're getting the whole story because other feeds can cause high acid levels (low pH) in the hindgut as well.

Correlation between tons of distiller's grain and outbreaks of positive-tested E. coli would be difficult because like hospitals and boot camps, CAFO's tend to breed their own strains of acid resistant and even antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So my point is that it is the operation in addition to the feed, and how clean both are.

Onward through the fog

by Sam Wells at 9:50 PM on 05 Dec 2007

CAFO manure ethanol plant explodes, shuts,

and files for bankruptcy.

E3 Biofuels-Mead LLC, a startup that used cow manure to power its ethanol plant in Nebraska, filed for bankruptcy in Kansas after a boiler explosion.

E3 made ethanol from corn and fed the crop "waste" to 28,000 cows on site. Then it made a biogas from the manure, of which it had large supply.

E3 Plant Craps Out
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/e3-plant-craps-out ...

The Motley Fools say "Ethanol is Running Out of Gas." Read the business article here:
http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2007/12/05 ...

by Karen Lee Orr at 6:12 AM on 06 Dec 2007

Distiller Grain Prices

Anyone know how distiller grain prices compare to normal feed grain prices? Seems there must be an economic benfit to the livestock raisers in addition to the corn growers.

by mitchjones at 11:11 AM on 06 Dec 2007

Does beg the question though

Does DDGS cause higher levels of E-Coli

Or do feedlots that use DDGS just use weaker hygene on average

Hard to say whether it's directly caused by the DDGS

-David Ahlport

by GreyFlcn at 11:14 AM on 06 Dec 2007

ADVERTISING POLICY

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.