Study Highlights Advantage of U.S. Corn in Feed Milling

A recently completed study by the Minnesota Corn-supported U.S. Grains Council (USGC) gives U.S. grain marketers another point to highlight when comparing American corn to South American varieties.

U.S. corn takes approximately 5% less energy to mill than Argentinian varieties and 10% less energy to mill than Brazilian varieties, according to the research, which was conducted at the Fargo-based Northern Crops Institute (NCI). An analysis by USGC found that this efficiency could translate into tens of thousands of dollars in energy savings for a large feed mill.

Alexander Grabois, USGC’s Manager of Global Strategies and Trade, said U.S. corn is more efficient to mill because it has a higher proportion of soft endosperm.

All corn kernels contain endosperm, an assemblage of cells surrounding the embryo, or the portion of the kernel that grows into a new plant. Primarily comprised of starch molecules but also containing protein and trace amounts of oil and minerals, the endosperm provides a growing plant with energy and minerals until its roots and leaves are established.