Nutrition

Researching Alternative Swine Feed Ingredients

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:21:00 +0000

Source: University of Illinois

Feed costs for corn and soybean meal skyrocketed following the 2012 drought. University of Illinois researchers investigated alternative sources of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) to reduce those costs.

Hans Stein and his research team have developed equations for calculating the concentrations of these minerals in byproducts from the rendering industry.

Teens Who Eat a Lean Pork Breakfast Consume Less Empty Calories

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:52:00 +0000

Source: National Pork Board

Teens who eat a high-protein lean pork breakfast may consume fewer sugary snacks later in the day, according to a newly released study conducted by the University of Missouri.

Livestock Feeders See Better Times Ahead

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:04:00 +0000

Source: Stu Ellis

While Corn Belt crop producers look back at USDA’s March 28 reports and wonder “what happened here,” livestock feeders are doing “high-fives” with themselves. Although the acreage projection was not unexpected, it forecast the potential for increased production and subsequently lower prices for feedgrains and soybean meal in the next marketing year, says blogger Stu Ellis at http://www.farmgateblog.com.

WASDE Report Forecasts Tight Corn and Soybean Supply

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:25:00 +0000

Source: American Farm Bureau Federation

The April World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report released this week by the Agriculture Department forecast tight corn and soybean stocks for the United States, confirming the ongoing impact of the extensive drought of 2012, according to analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).

Pigs Thrive on Corn Germ, Reducing Diet Costs

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:22:00 +0000

Source: University of Illinois

Inclusion of corn germ in swine diets can reduce diet costs, depending on the local cost of corn germ and other ingredients. Recent research conducted at the University of Illinois indicates that corn germ can be included at up to 30% in diets fed to growing pigs.

“In previous research, we had seen that pigs do very well on diets containing 10% corn germ, so we wanted to investigate if higher inclusion rates can be used," says Hans Stein, professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois.

Alltech Symposium Examines 2020 Pork Outlook

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:10:00 +0000

Source: Alltech

Staying profitable in the face of high feed costs, keeping up with increased government regulations and responding to strong consumer demands are all pork industry challenges that Alltech plans to tackle at GLIMPSE 2020: the 29^th Annual Alltech International Symposium in Lexington, KY, May 19-22.

Will the U.S. Run Out Of Soybeans?

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:35:00 +0000

Source: Stu Ellis

For the past couple of months, market analysts and a variety of commodity traders have been putting up red flags, warning that excessive volumes of soybeans are being exported, while the short crop of 2012 may have difficulty supplying domestic needs at the end of the marketing year.

Five Meetings Address FDA’s Plans for Antibiotics

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:41:00 +0000

Source: The Food and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a series of five meetings to provide the public with opportunities to discuss and provide critical feedback on the challenges faced by livestock producers and veterinarians as FDA phases in veterinary oversight of the therapeutic use of certain medically important antimicrobials.

FDA is seeking input as it moves forward to further develop and implement its strategy to promote the judicious use in food-producing animals of antibiotics that are important in treating humans.

Nursery Pigs Favor Soybean Meal

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:26:00 +0000

Source: American Society of Animal Science

University of Alberta research has shown that when given a choice, pigs prefer the less bitter taste of soybean meal to substitutes such as napus canola and juncea canola meal.

Chocolate is Cheaper Lactose Source for Swine Diets

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:25:00 +0000

Source: American Society of Animal Science

Lactose is an important ingredient of swine diets – but the source of digestible sugar has become costly in recent years.

In research at North Carolina State University presented at the Midwest Animal Science meeting this week in Des Moines, IA, J. Gou explained how chocolate candy can fill in as a source of lactose in weaned pig diets. Gou found that chocolate candy can supply up to 45% of lactose without affecting pig performance.