Cows eating candy during the drought

[texan_eagle_scout]

Cows eating candy during the drought



Cows eating candy during the drought

Updated: Thursday, 16 Aug 2012, 7:53 AM EDT
Published : Thursday, 16 Aug 2012, 7:53 AM EDT
MAYFIELD, Ky. (CNN/WPSD) - Ranchers have struggled with skyrocketing corn prices, because the drought has made feeding their livestock very expensive. But one rancher has turned to a very sweet solution.

At Mayfield's United Livestock Commodities, owner Joseph Watson is tweaking the recipe for success.

"Just to be able to survive, we have to look for other sources of nutrition," he said.

His 1,400 cattle are no longer feeding off corn. The prices, Watson says, are too high to keep corn in stock. So earlier this year, he began to buy second-hand candy.

"It has a higher ratio of fat than actually feeding straight corn," Watson explained. "It's hard to believe it will work but we've already seen the results of it now."

Watson mixes the candy with an ethanol by-product and a mineral nutrient. He says the cows have not shown any health problems from eating the candy, and they are gaining weight as they should.

"This ration is balanced to have not too much fat in it," he said.

The packaged candy comes from various companies at a discounted rate because it is not fit for store shelves.

"Salvage is a problem for a lot of these companies and they're proud to have a place to go with it," said Watson.

[AwPhuch]

High fructose corn syrup

If corn production is suffering why the HELL are we still using it for a FUEL source!!!

[Jarwulf]

Originally Posted by AwPhuch

High fructose corn syrup

If corn production is suffering why the HELL are we still using it for a FUEL source!!!

I think biofuels could have a future but using corn especially in noncelluosic methods is a cheap impractical political gimmick for farming states.

[UncleBuck]

Originally Posted by AwPhuch

High fructose corn syrup

If corn production is suffering why the HELL are we still using it for a FUEL source!!!

Taxes

[AwPhuch]

Originally Posted by Jarwulf

I think biofuels could have a future but using corn especially in noncelluosic methods is a cheap impractical political gimmick for farming states.

I agree...if they can figure out how to use the entire plant..then hell grass clippings or big bag o' leaves will be viable as a fuel source...as it stands now..the fruit, aka the food of the plant is used for fuel..dubya tee eph!

Too bad they won't let America's cash crop called HEMP be used the way it should..aka a WEED that grows like a WEED and is harvested 2-3x faster than most other fibrous plant materials..can grow in soil that would choke most other plants, plus the materials collected can be used for more than just fuel (and no...not smoking the sticky purple punge either)

[usmamg]

Will the cows need dentists???

[Helpdesk9]

Originally Posted by AwPhuch

I agree...if they can figure out how to use the entire plant..then hell grass clippings or big bag o' leaves will be viable as a fuel source...as it stands now..the fruit, aka the food of the plant is used for fuel..dubya tee eph!

Too bad they won't let America's cash crop called HEMP be used the way it should..aka a WEED that grows like a WEED and is harvested 2-3x faster than most other fibrous plant materials..can grow in soil that would choke most other plants, plus the materials collected can be used for more than just fuel (and no...not smoking the sticky purple punge either)

Go hug a tree hippy

Veni, vidi, edi

[yocan]

we make corn into fuel because its politically correct, we don't care the trees they cut down to make it actually take more pollutants out of the air then the pollutants we save by doing this.

[Rustynuts]

Originally Posted by AwPhuch

I agree...if they can figure out how to use the entire plant..then hell grass clippings or big bag o' leaves will be viable as a fuel source...as it stands now..the fruit, aka the food of the plant is used for fuel..dubya tee eph!

I'm working on a project that does just that right now. In commissioning now, $100+ million plant. Makes ethanol from greenwaste products (NOT fuel crops). Pretty much ANY organic substance, even garbage or plastic. The waste industry has been working on these projects for awhile. Europe and Asia are way ahead of us right now. Tough to get traction everywhere as most technologies are based on reduced oxygen gasification which the evil tree huggers see as incineration, mass-burn, still.

There are many different processes as well, some are fermentation, some are more like chemical refineries. It will happen, just takes time and LOTS of money.