Week 2

High-Energy Feedstuffs

Introduction to Cereal Grains

Text Transcript

Time: 5.35

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• Primary source of energy in livestock rations
• Seeds of plants of grass family
• Major cereal grains: corn, sorghum or milo, barley, oats, wheat, triticale, and rye
• Table 4.1 – Major cereal grains produced in U.S.

Table 4.1 - U.S. Cereal Grain Production*

Grain	Crop Year - 2001
Corn	241,485
Sorghum	13,070
Barley	5,434
Oats	1,696
In 1,000 metric tons - One metric ton equals 2,204.6 pounds
*Estimated

• Traded based on weight
• Bushel weight
• Density measure
• Positive association with value
• Increase in density, increase in energy value
• Ton
• Valued based on grades
• Bushel weight
• Quality measures
• Grading standards
• Established by Federal Grain Inspection Service of United States Department of Agriculture
• Available at: http://www.usda.gov.gipsa/reference-library/standards/standards.htm
• Nutritional value
• Relatively similar
• Table 5.4 on page 61 of text – Average nutrient composition of major cereal grains
• Relatively constant
• Figure 4.1 – General structure of grain and primary nutrients associated with each component
• High digestibility

• Vary by species and quality
• High in nonstructural carbohydrates
• Primary carbohydrate – starch
• Vary by type of molecule, chain length, and extent of branching
• Low in nonstructural carbohydrates
• Cellulose – present in cell wall and hulls
• Lignin – present in hull
• Crude protein content – 8 – 14%
• Generally, wheat is greater
• Protein quality
• Proteins, solubility, and amino acid content varies
• General – low in lysine, tryptophan, threonine, and methionine
• Lipid content
• Less than 1% to greater than 6%
• Predominant fatty acids – palmitic, linoleic, and oleic
• Mineral content
• Low in Ca
• High in P
• Bound P, low availability for monogastrics
• Low in microminerals
• Vitamin content
• Fair source of vitamin E
• Low in vitamins A and D
• Exception: corn high in A precursor
• Low in most of B complex vitamins
• Relative nutritional value between cereal grains
• Energy value
• Table 5.13 in text – Relative ME value of each of grains for ruminants, poultry, and swine
• Corn is standard; set at 100
• Majority of others lower than corn
• Crude protein
• Table 5.13 in text – Relative crude protein value of each of grains
• Corn is standard; set at 100
• Others higher than corn