SDCUC funds $343,745 in research at SDSU

The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council will fund $343,745 in corn-related research at South Dakota State University for the 2006-07 fiscal year that starts in July.
"The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (SDCUC) takes seriously its role of administering the corn checkoff and reinvesting it into viable ways of developing new markets and promoting new uses for corn," said Craig Swanson, Chamberlain, producer and research committee chairman for the SDCUC. "In selecting research projects, the SDCUC board is focused on answering the agricultural questions of the future to provide producers with a competitive advantage through new markets and increased profitability."
The SDCUC funding for those projects comes entirely from the 1-cent per bushel checkoff that farmers pay on corn sold through local elevators in South Dakota.
“We are grateful for the continued support from the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council in the research areas of production and utilization of corn,” said C.Y. Wang, interim associate director for the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.
“The collaborative effort between the Corn Utilization Council and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, and the good working relationship between the two entities, are crucial factors in moving these research projects forward for South Dakota ag producers.”
In addition to the $343,745 for specific research projects, Wang noted, the SDCUC is contributing $15,000 for the Farming System Research Initiative, created by five South Dakota commodity groups to fund SDSU research addressing the groups’ common interest areas.
Here’s a look at the projects:
– $8,500 for a project on crop nutrient management, headed by professor Ron Gelderman. The research aims to further the increase in production and utilization of corn for South Dakota growers.
– $27,500 for a study on precision deep tillage, headed by professors David Clay, C. Gregg Carlson, and Sharon Clay. The project will look at the influence of precision tillage, fertilizer, and manure placement on N fertilizer efficiency, carbon sequestering, weed seed germination, water infiltration, water quality, and corn yields at different landscape positions in production fields.
– $33,000 for a project on dried distillers grain (DDG) as a biocomposite material. The study is headed by Jerry Visser, operations manager at SDSU’s Product Development Center, and Kurt Rosentrater, bioprocess engineer at the USDA-ARS North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Brookings. The research has potential for significantly increasing the value of DDG compared to traditional use as a livestock feed material.
– $15,300 for a study of insect pests of Bt corn hybrids in South Dakota, headed by SDSU Extension Entomologist Mike Catangui. The project aims to promote long-term continuous corn production in South Dakota by better management of insect pests, insect-vectored diseases, and mycotoxins, and by utilizing advanced biotechnology, seed treatment, and pesticides.
– $34,500 for a research project on the use of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in the forage diets of cows, headed by SDSU Extension Beef Specialist Cody Wright and assistant professor Aimee Wertz-Lutz. The research will investigate whether fat supplementation above recommended levels can be accomplished using DDGS without sacrificing performance or diet digestibility in beef cows consuming grass hay.
– $26,300 for a study to evaluate DDGS as a supplement to the diet of beef heifers. SDSU Extension Beef Reproduction Specialist George Perry heads the project, which aims to evaluate the effect of DDGS as a supplement to forage on reproductive performance in beef heifers.
– $32,620 for a project on DDGS in the diet of dairy cows, headed by assistant professor Kenneth Kalscheur. The research objective is to determine protein and amino acid utilization of DDGS at increasing concentrations in diets of dairy cows.
– $31,445 for a research project on the feeding value of corn germ compared with corn distillers grains in dairy cow diets, headed by associate professor Arnold Hippen. The goal of the project is to determine possible advantages or disadvantages of feeding corn germ from fraction of corn grain compared with distillers grains, with particular emphasis on milk fatty acid composition and milk fat depression.
– $32,580 for a study on condensed corn distillers solubles with fish oil as a value-added feed for dairy cows, headed by professor David Schingoethe. The project goal is to determine the response of lactating cows to diets containing condensed corn distillers solubles, both with and without a small amount of fish oil.
– $25,000 for a research project on value-added uses of corn, headed by professor Bill Gibbons. The project investigates novel technologies to produce valuable products such as biochemicals and biopolymers from corn byproducts.
– $25,000 for a study on enhanced value of DDGS, also headed by Gibbons. The project will look at enhanced methods to separate solids from stillage; reduced energy use for drying DDGS; improved nutritional quality and utility of DDGS; and improved DDGS bulk density and flowability.
– $15,000 for a project on biodiesel production, headed by Gibbons and professor Basil Dalaly. The project seeks to develop a more efficient method to produce biodiesel from corn oil that would decrease operating costs and increase quality and value of the glycerol byproduct.
– $37,000 for a study on the biomedical potential of zein, a corn protein. The research, headed by assistant professor Omathanu Perumal, aims to develop a system from zein for intracellular delivery of therapeutic drugs for cancer and neurological disorders.