Since April last year, dairy farmers who supply Lion in South Australia and South East Queensland have had the opportunity to access brewers’ grain for stockfeed at competitive rates through the Lion Dairy Pride By-Products Program.
The grain is sourced from local Lion breweries at XXXX (Brisbane) and West End (Adelaide), and is a by-product of the brewing process.
As part of a balanced diet, brewers’ grain can help to increase milk output, enhance fat and protein composition, and improve farm productivity.
The Lion Dairy Pride By-Products Program has proved extremely popular with farmers, who credit Lion’s initiative with helping to drive more competitive pricing of brewers’ grain in the market, enhancing their access to the feed and in some cases improving milk supply, quality and overall farm productivity. For example:
- Scenic Rim (QLD) farmer Duncan McInnes says accessing grain under the By-Products Program “has certainly helped us and really improved the quality and the digestibility of the diet. This is a real win-win situation because Lion farmers have the potential to send more milk into the Lion factory.”
- Murray Bridge (SA) farmer Ian Mueller says grain sourced under the Program “is a cost effective feed to use to help increase milk production and cow condition. It also helps to add moisture to the mixer wagon and helps to bind the mix together.”
- Sunshine Coast (QLD) farmers Darrin Grevitt and Ray De Vere have also benefited from Lion’s By-Products Program. Darrin Grevitt said: “the competitive price Lion is now offering on grain has reduced costs of production by over three cents per litre on my farm, and supported an increase in productivity.”
Ray De Vere added: “access to brewers’ grain has given me the confidence to increase herd size and feed cows better during periods when the levels of pasture availability is low.”