By: Javier Chavez, Marketing Specialist in Mexico, U.S. Grains Council
U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff and consultants recently completed a tour of Southeast Mexico to make presentations promoting U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to 23 ranchers in Chiapas. The attendees were presidents and chairmen of local cattle producer associations and represent an estimated 1.1 million head of cattle, more than 40 percent of the total cattle in the area.
Mexico imported more than 1.5 million metric tons of DDGS in 2014, but USGC work has shown that there is potential for more when end-users in this region gain greater understanding of and access to the feed ingredient.
Distribution is one of the most important constraints to expanding the DDGS market in this area due to a poorly-developed supply chain. To help remedy this situation, the Council is providing a targeted trade servicing effort that works with local distributors to remove inefficiencies from the supply chain.
In addition, there are also potential consumers still lacking proper training for purchasing, feeding, storing and formulating with DDGS, leading to underutilization.
As part of the Council’s educational outreach, USGC Consultant Dr. Eduardo Christensen presented results of recent feeding trials that were conducted with calves and dairy cattle. The results of these trials were dramatic, with both sets of cattle becoming much more productive. Dairy cows produced 2 liters more milk and calves gained .741 kilograms per day more than the control groups when their diets were supplemented with 80 percent DDGS and 20 percent molasses feed.
USGC Consultant Dr. Monica Perez also assisted with the presentation, explaining how DDGS are produced and why they work as a feed supplement for grazing cattle.
Through presentations like this one, the Council will continue to educate the region’s end-users and distributors on the benefits of using U.S. DDGS in feed rations. The goal is to expand this region’s grain demand to include U.S. DDGS.
Click here to view photos and videos from this tour.
Click here to read more about the Council’s work to promote DDGS in the southern region of Mexico.