Farmer Alexander Schmidle from Lauchringen relies on the concentrated power of his new ECOKRAFT plant. He uses it to pelletize spent grain. The farmer receives these from well-known breweries in Switzerland and Germany. The reason: brewer's grains are high-quality feedstuffs and, in pellet form, are particularly easy to store, transport, and dose.
Mr. Schmidle, what are spent grains and how are they produced?
Brewer's grains are produced during the beer manufacturing process. When the wort is separated from the mash, it accumulates as a residual solid. All undissolved basic components of the malt, such as husks, all undegraded sugar, almost all fat, and like 2/3 of the crude protein of all raw materials are retained. Compared to malt grain, brewer's grains are 300-400% more enriched with fiber content, making it perfect for feeding to ruminants, such as cows, etc.
Why high quality?
High quality because it is excellent for supplementing corn silage, fodder beets and cereals and the protein ratio is about 1 to 3. Furthermore, it is rumen-stable protein. The feed is easy to ensile without additives, contributes to an increase in staple feed intake, and at the same time leads to better utilization of the total feed ration. The significantly better rating of brewer's grains DLG feed value tables explains the well-known increase in milk yield through the use of brewer's grains in the ration.
From whom do you receive the brewer's grains?
I get the material from breweries, 90 percent of them from Switzerland. Some of the well-known breweries include Feldschlösschen, Rothaus and Fürstenberg. The material is delivered by a distributor, first dried on my premises because of its liquid content of about 20 percent, and then pelletized on a contract basis. In other words, the dealer then collects the material in pellet form from me again and finally sells it as animal feed. The advantage for the trader is that the plant is processed by me, so there are no customs duties.
How quickly does the material have to be dried and pelletized, and what do you get per ton?
Within less than 3 days. I take a maximum of 75 tons from the trader every week. I get 125 euros per ton. Consequently, you can safely calculate with me. The material is of high quality and should therefore only be used as feed.
Mr. Schmidle, what do you think characterizes a successful business relationship with Ecokraft?
Mutual trust, meeting deadlines and the rapid delivery of spare parts. This creates a high level of customer satisfaction.
How did you get in touch with ECOKRAFT?
I was actively researching a pelletizing plant because I was no longer satisfied with my old plant technology. Then I found ECOKRAFT on the Internet. Then we met and discussed everything. The new technology and the team convinced me and I am very satisfied so far.
What is special about this ECOKRAFT plant?
The plant is bigger, the die lasts much longer and the quality of the pellets is actually better compared to before. What's more, I can now process a higher quantity of spent grains.
Why did you choose ECOKRAFT and how do you evaluate the joint cooperation?
I am basically satisfied with the cooperation and the technology. The business relationship is consistently fair and pleasant.
...and on a scale of 1 to 10?
A very good 8.
Based on the experience you have gained, would you recommend ECOKRAFT AG to others and why?
I would definitely recommend ECOKRAFT to others because plant engineering, consulting and service were very good overall. If the delivery times for spare parts could still be shortened, it would be a 10 (laughs).
Thank you for the interview.