NEWS RELEASE

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Immediate Release:
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Nebraska Corn Board contacts:
Randy Klein: 800.632.6761
Terry Landes: 402.592.3355

Growing Nebraska’s dairy industry good for rural communities, corn producers

LINCOLN, NE – The Nebraska dairy industry produced 1.08 billion pounds of milk over the past year, and in the process converted a lot of corn, distillers grains and other Nebraska-produced feed ingredients into high value dairy products.

“About 59,000 dairy cows in Nebraska help provide a tremendous synergy between corn production, ethanol production and distillers grains,” said Dan Rice, a dairy producer from Firth, Neb. “Since Nebraska is a leading corn and ethanol producer, we need to continue efforts to make Nebraska a leader in milk and dairy products production.”

Rice is also president of the Nebraska Dairy Industry Association (NDIA).

Randy Klein, director of market development for the Nebraska Corn Board, said supporting and growing the state’s livestock and dairy industries is a priority for the state’s corn producers. “Dairy cattle consume a lot of feed – a lot of corn and distillers grains,” he said. “Growing the state’s dairy industry is good for corn producers, but it’s also good for ethanol producers and rural communities.”

Increasing the number of dairy cows in the state would multiply the economic impact of dairy production. “The dairy sector employs a great number of people,” Rice explained. “It also purchases a significant amount of feed, veterinary supplies and other supplies and equipment, helping provide an economic boost to rural communities. Growing cow numbers increases that positive impact to communities and the state as a whole.”

One way the Nebraska Corn Board assists the state’s dairy industry is by supporting research aimed at helping the industry capitalize on the growing production of distillers grains in the state. “We recognized early on that the corn co-product distillers grains is well-suited for beef and dairy cattle,” Klein said. “This led us to support feeding trials, and earlier this year publish a corn co-products manual specifically for the dairy industry.”

The Utilization of Corn Co-Products in the Dairy Industry was completed in February and is available by contacting the Nebraska Corn Board or by downloading it at the Board’s website (www.NebraskaCorn.org).

The Nebraska Corn Board also supports groups like NDIA, whose goals are to increase the state’s dairy production and processing, and the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN), which helps Nebraska farmers and ranchers develop responsible livestock production.


The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of 1/4 of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

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