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Latin American trade team explores possibilities of DDGS

DAYTON, OH – The U.S. Grains Council and the Ohio Corn Marketing Program have hosted many trade missions for foreign agriculture leaders. This year, following the International Distillers Grains Conference in Illinois, a team of animal nutritionists from large companies in Latin American countries such as Colombia, Chile, Ecaudor, the Dominican Republic and Peru came to the Buckeye State to learn more about the ethanol co-product of dried distillers grains, or DDGs.

The group of eleven individuals, including a Colombian representative from the U.S. Grains Council, toured one of Ohio’s new ethanol plants in Greenville owned by the Anderson’s and Marathon Oil. Once the plant is fully operational after an early ’08 opening date, it will produce 350,000 tons of DDGS annually. Distillers grains are a high-protein content animal feed.

“Ohio has seven ethanol plants under construction with a total ethanol capacity of 500 million gallons resulting in 1 million tons of DDGS,” said Dwayne Siekman, executive director of the Ohio Corn Marketing Program.

Across the country, about 11 million tons of distillers grains is represented in the collective production capacities of ethanol plants either on line or under construction today in the nation. Approximately 2 million tons of DDGS are already being exported annually, but that number needs to double or triple in order for this growing industry to thrive.

Trade team participant Alexandra Amorocho, a nutritionist in Colombia, said she might consider some mix of DDGS in feeding cows. She is responsible for the nutrition of multiple herds.

“We still need more information,” she said. “This tour has helped a lot.”

The trade mission also stopped at farms operated by Ohio Corn Marketing Program board members Brian Harbage, Bruce Long, and Steve Vanzant; they also toured Consolidated Grain and Barge in Cincinnati; Akey Feeds in Lewisburg and Cooper Farms in Fort Recovery.