402 Award Talk: The role of liquid feeds in the beef cattle nutrition in the U.S.: A 50-year journey.

Abstract Liquid feeds have been used in cattle nutrition for over a century and have proved to be an important segment of our feed industry, with more value and applications being discovered as feeding systems evolve. The first patent on the use of liquid feed was issued in 1913 and was basically the rehydration of a dried molasses product. In 1930s their use in cattle nutrition became widely spread, mainly due to the expansion of the sugar industry. The U.S. liquid feed market is estimated at $90.2 billion, with a projection to reach $120.8 billion annually by 2030. The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has a very active Liquid Feed Committee, of which I have had the pleasure of being part of as university liaison and chair of the research and education subcommittee for eight consecutive years (2016-2023). As part of that committee, I was able to actively engage with the industry, helping fund research to enhance the use of liquid feeds in livestock industries, and developing new applications. While a large part of the liquid feed industry is associated with the use of molasses as a byproduct of the sugar industry, it is certainly not the only valuable byproduct with potential use as animal feed. Crude glycerol derived from the biodiesel industry has been quite promising as an energy-dense liquid feed for cattle. Research conducted by our group showed that a 50:50 mixture of molasses and crude glycerol can enhance fiber digestion when used as a supplement in hay-based diets fed to growing beef cattle. Supplementing with 2.3 kg/d of a mixture of 50:50 molasses crude glycerol led to a 19% increase in total tract NDF digestibility in growing beef heifers fed 100% bermudagrass hay. The 50th anniversary of the Liquid Feed Symposium organized by AFIA was celebrated in 2021, marking half a century of research and extension efforts dedicated to advance the liquid feed industry, a very important segment of livestock nutrition in the U.S. and abroad.