Innovation is frequently born of necessity. As the cost of freight and other inputs continues to rise, producers across the varying sectors of agriculture have been forced to find ways to generate revenue and cut costs. In the heart of the Gulf Coast Rice Belt, innovation took the form of rice-based feeds.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, a Chambers County, Texas, rice farmer, Halley Moor, found himself with bins full of non-food-grade rice. With nowhere else for the product to go, Moor hauled the rice to his ranch in Sanderson, Texas, to use as feed for wildlife. Following the success he had with it as a wildlife feed, Moor knew he had to make the plunge into a more diverse product line, now known as 1900 Feeds.

“The mills beat up on farmers,” Moor says. “We take on all the risk, and they make three times as much as we do. Putting rice into feed for cattle, wildlife and horses works for us, and that’s how we got started.”

Moor notes they placed their bets on their own cattle, feeding both a starter and developer ration to their show heifers that eventually won in a competitive field of commercial heifers at the county level.

Both Moor and 1900 Feeds’ sales director, Stewart Milton, note utilizing grains that don’t require additional freight is economically beneficial to ranchers as well. For both farmers and ranchers, the ability to source grain locally provides a safeguard in volatile markets.

“These products can compete head-to-head with major brands,” Milton says. “For 1900 Feeds in particular, there is not a major feed mill within 100 miles, and the trucking costs add up quick for cattle producers. When we can take out the freight cost and still have a high-quality product, we can go head-to-head on both price and quality.”

For rice in particular, the ability to grow locally is a major component, as it allows producers to control the cost of input and, thus, keeps the price competitive with more popular corn-based feeds.

Nutritional value

From a nutritional standpoint, whole-grain rice and some of its byproducts are often left out of cattle feed rations due to the cost. Rice is far more valuable for human consumption, and certain byproducts are less than nutritious.

Zeb Prawl is a nutritionist with Great Plains Livestock Consulting and has consulted on these products for 1900 Feeds to ensure they meet the nutritional needs of beef cattle.

“A lot of rice byproducts are used in cattle feed, but whole rice is typically left out, due to the cost and its value in human food,” Prawl explains. “Typically, for cattle feed, we use products like rice bran, rice hulls and rice mill feed, although those last two aren't particularly nutritious on their own.”

At 7% protein, rough rice – which includes the grain, hull and other components of the plant – is the main ingredient in rice-based cattle feeds.

“In general, when we talk about rough rice products, it's a high-energy feed but needs extra protein supplementation to make it a more balanced feed product,” Prawl explains. “Not all rice products are created equal. When we look at rice bran, it contains moderate crude protein at 12 to 15 percent but is usually very high in fat at 15 to 18 percent.”

Ruminants can handle roughly 6% crude fat in their diet, according to Prawl, which makes rice bran itself difficult for cattle to digest all by itself. However, when balanced with other inputs, it works well to add additional energy to a feed. In addition, rice hulls hold little nutritional value but can be utilized as a filler in limited quantities.

“We will mix the rough rice with other sources of protein like soybean meal, cottonseed meal and dried distillers grains,” Prawl explains. “We get a lot of energy from these types of rice-based feeds, but it's mostly starch. There has to be some additives to keep it balanced.”

For which type of cattle?

While Prawl believes this type of feed has potential application for all classes of cattle, stocker operations are an exceptionally good fit.

“Any type of cattle in the backgrounding phase, even fresh-weaned calves, are good candidates for a rice-based feed,” Prawl says. “For mature cows, they may also need a protein supplement. Rough rice by itself may not be the best option for mature cows on grass, as they can end up getting too much starch. But when we blend it with proteins, we can produce a high-energy feed that can also meet the cows’ protein needs. Using rice as our locally grown feedstuff, we can also do this economically for the producer.”

Utilizing locally sourced grain is not a new idea; however, the modern consumer is more aware of where their food is coming from. With the demand for locally sourced beef rising, there is certainly a market for cattle fed with locally sourced grain.

“People want to know where their food is coming from and are becoming increasingly conscious of supporting local producers,” Prawl says. “This is where farmers can really capitalize, especially if they have a solid base of customers within 100 miles of their facility.”

He continues, “The ability to provide bulk feed for cattle producers that is exclusively locally raised and sourced helps consumers understand where their beef is coming from and relate to the process, as it's all a little closer to home.”