Developing Novel Feeds for Cattle from Food Waste and Crop Residue Biomass to Strengthen the Regenerative Capacity of Agri-Food Systems

Abstract Modern agri-food systems generate large amounts of crop-based biomass that are unfit for direct human consumption but potentially eligible for upcycling via livestock feeding for production of meats, milk, and eggs. This study aims to develop novel feeds for cattle from some of those biomass materials through the natural microbial-driven processes of ensiling. Fruit and vegetables resembling supermarket discards were ensiled alone or co-ensiled with corn crop residues, mushroom wastes, etc. via laboratory experiments. Longitudinal sample analyses showed that (co-)ensiling was successful, with pH and fermentation acids falling within desirable ranges (pH < 4.5, the acids 5–13% DM with lactic acid dominating). The (co-)ensiled products had key nutritional parameters comparable to those of good quality forages commonly used on dairy farms. Additionally, in vitro incubation results indicated that the ensiled products could substitute certain conventional feeds while maintaining diet digestibility. Our findings provide a proof of principle for generating quality novel feeds for cattle from food discards and under-utilized crop residues. Future scale-up studies and animal feeding trials to demonstrate the utility of this approach can help societies begin re-purposing and more effectively utilizing otherwise-untapped feedstock resources, strengthening the regenerative capacity of agri-food systems towards a more sustainable food future.