CALF News Aug./Sept 2018

45 CALF News • August | September 2018 • www.calfnews.net New Testing Capabilities Making the Planet More Productive By Robin Cox Key Feed Accounts Specialist Servi-Tech Laboratories F orward-thinking Servi-Tech strives to keep abreast of our customers’ testing needs and con- tinually adds ways to meet them. Verifying glycerin purity and metha- nol contamination were identified as beneficial analyses to assess byproducts from biodiesel creation for inclusion in cattle diets. Biodiesel production has and will continue to increase as the United States works to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Biodiesel has been shown to burn cleaner and more efficiently as compared to petroleum-based diesel. Blending it into the nation’s fuel supply will reduce emission of unburned hydro- carbons, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. During biodiesel creation, vegetable oils (from soybeans, cottonseed and/ or canola), animal fats such as tallow, or a combination of both are processed, separating fatty acids from glycerin, also called glycerol. The fatty acid portion is used for fuel. Glycerin has been effectively added as an ingredient in liquid livestock supple- ments. The sweet liquid can also be used as a conditioning agent to improve palat- ability of dry diets. Glycerin can effec- tively control dust and reduce buildup of fines in bunks by preventing separation of ingredients, particu- larly in total mixed rations containing concentrates with small particle sizes. Servi-Tech now has the capa- bility to use High Performance Liquid Chroma- tography (HPLC) instrumentation to accurately measure glycerin. However, prior to feeding glycerin, contaminant levels and impurities should be known to ensure the product is safe to feed to livestock. The methanol concentration of crude glycerin is of par- ticular concern and is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies if intended for livestock consumption. Servi-Tech has added gas chromatography instru- mentation for the specific purpose of measuring methanol in crude glycerin. As the biodiesel industry expands and availability of glycerin increases, there is great potential to include glycerin in livestock diets as a replacement for corn grain. Servi-Tech is pleased to begin offering this testing ability to provide an added service for our feed customers.  YOUNG STOCKMAN Continued from page 30 using the fenceline method, they are backgrounded on grass with minimal grain, and sold at either United Producers, Bowling Green Market or Bluegrass Market in Campbellsville. Retained ownership is an option Green would like to explore in the future. Although he takes intense interest in his registered Her- efords, he bursts with pride when talking about his commercial cows. They select replacement heifers for efficiency, capacity and muscle and says the cows produce “flat good baldy steers.” Hereford genetics are purchased from Churchill Cattle Company in Montana, Angus fromWhitestone Farm in Virginia and Musgrave Angus in Illinois. Green insists that in order to stay relevant, one must continuously chase the next set of genetics. Cow families should always remain the most important focus. Our stockman’s final thought is a quote he wanted to share with NJHA members upon his retirement from their national board. It is a quote from Alan Ashley-Pitt: “You have two choices in life. You can dissolve into the mainstream, or you can be distinct. To be distinct, you must be different. To be differ- ent, you must strive to be what no one else can be.” Best of luck, Steven Green. we expect to see you rise to the top.  www.servitech.com What’s in YOUR ration? Forage Testing • Mixed Rations • Supplements Offering feed animal testing in: