World cup beer sales set to benefit farmers

Farmers are set to benefit from the 2010 World Cup, with a predicted boost in beer sales expected to lead to an increase in supplies of brewers’ grains and draff in some areas.

And by mixing sugar beet feed with brewers’ grains or draff this summer farmers could improve stackability of the clamped moist feed and create a feed that outperforms diets where the same two ingredients are added separately, so boosting returns, according to Trident’s Alistair Jackson.

Grainbeet is produced by simply mixing four tonnes of sugar beet feed with 20 tonnes of brewers’ grains or draff (1:5 ratio) using a loader bucket during clamping. The result is a 33% dry matter, 12MJ ME/kg DM, 19% crude protein moist feeds that is ideal as a concentrate replacer for dairy cows or as a complete feed for beef cattle, youngstock and finishing lambs.

Grainbeet is also useful for extending forage stock during a dry summer, or when an early autumn causes livestock to be housed early.