Nebraska's Closed-Loop Farming System Cycles Corn and Manure

Nebraska's Nutrient Cycle is a closed-loop system where corn and cattle feed each other. Corn, grown in Nebraska fields, becomes livestock feed for nearby cattle farms. The cattle then produce manure that serves as fertilizer for next year's crop.

This cycle starts with freshly harvested corn being fed to cattle or sent to an ethanol plant. At the plant, part of the kernel is converted into renewable biofuel and the leftover nutrients become distillers grains. These nutritious grains are added to cattle feed.

Cattle eat the corn or distillers grains and produce manure, which can be spread on cornfields before planting. This natural fertilizer completes the nutrient cycle, returning essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium back into the soil.