ALUMNI DONATE TONS OF BRAN TO DEMO FARM

Mike Martin of Bernie, Mo., has donated five tons of rice bran to the Southeast Missouri State University Demonstration Farm.

Martin and his brother, David, are graduates of Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Agriculture.

They farm with their father and brother, Tim. The Martin family plants about 1,000 acres in rice annually.

Mike Martin has designed and constructed a small rice mill on the family farm, said Dr. William Ellis, Southeast professor of agriculture. With the mill, the family adds another level of processing prior to the sale of their product. With this processing, the family will capture greater price margin. The rice is milled, bagged and stacked on pallets to be sold for human consumption. The Martins plan to mill their entire 2000 crop of rice.

During the milling of rice, a byproduct -- rice bran -- is produced, Ellis said. Rice bran consists primarily of the seed coat and germ removed from the rice grain in the manufacture of polished rice for human consumption.

The livestock feeding industry primarily uses rice bran, he said, adding that rice bran is available from other rice processors in bulk. This generally indicates the buyer will purchase a truckload of 20-plus tons. The Martin family is bagging its rice bran into 100-pound bags. This allows them access to another market, the smaller livestock producer, Ellis said.

The University Demonstration Farm feeds the rice bran to weaned fall-born calves on pasture. The calves receive 2 pounds of whole cottonseed and 1 pound of rice bran a day. Ellis said the results of this study will not be available until fall, but initial findings indicate rice bran increases the calves' growth and their desire to eat.

"The biggest benefit for our region is that this desirable byproduct is available in less than truckload volume," Ellis said.

Smaller producers can use the rice bran to increase animal performance.

Ellis says rice bran should not be more than 20 to 25 percent of the animal's diet. More than this level, rice bran may cause bloating.

Ellis says rice bran should not be fed to horses because of its tendency to cause colic.

Southeast Demonstration Farm data indicate beef cowherds' first service conception can be increased by 20 percent when the cows are fed high energy feed prior to breeding. Rice bran could be used to enhance cowherds' first conception, Ellis said.