Much of the research that is presented during the Corn Utilization Technology Conference, held recently in Indianapolis, is about new uses for corn. During a session all about new uses at this year’s conference, Steve Peterson, Monsanto, gave a presentation on “Advances in Corn Stover Harvest and Treatment for Animal Feed.” He says Monsanto started a project about five years ago to determine if we can harvest stover and how to handle, transport, store and process it. The project was started after getting questions from their customers about the residue when they are growing corn after corn. Through the process he says they’ve been able to determine how much stover you can remove and the factors that impact that. The conclusion they’ve come to is that you can sustainably harvest stover. So now they are looking at the best ways to use that stover. That includes working with cattle feeding operations to see if it can replace corn and hay in cattle diets. Steve says that the motivation for all of this is Monsanto’s goal of doubling corn yields by 2030.
Listen to my interview with Steve Peterson here: Interview with Steve Peterson