By Bruce Cochrane.
A Feed Research Scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry reports, by utilizing lower cost lower energy feed ingredients in the grower finisher phase, pork producers can dramatically reduce their feed costs while maintaining overall productivity.
In an effort to reduce feed costs scientists compared the performance of pigs fed lower cost low energy diets, containing solvent extracted canola meal, to pigs fed higher cost high energy diets, containing soy expeller, through the grow finish phase.
Dr. Eduardo Beltranena, a Feed Research Scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, notes feed accounts for 60 to 75 percent of the cost of production and the ingredients that provide energy, primarily the cereal grains and protein meals, are the most costly component.
Dr. Eduardo Beltranena-Alberta Agriculture and Forestry:
The pigs, early on in the trial, did better on the high energy diets because there is a gut limitation as to how much feed the young pig can consume.
The pigs in the grower 1 diet, it only last 12 days, the pigs fed the high energy diet consumed more feed than the pigs on the low energy diet.
Then after that it reverse for the entire trial.
For the grower 2, finisher 1, finisher 2, the pigs on the low energy diet actually consumed more feed and, in terms of caloric intake, there was n difference for the overall trial.
There was no difference in days to market between the low and the high energy diets or in caloric intake because the pigs on the low energy diet consumed more feed and therefore were able to get the same amount of calories as in the high energy diet.
Dr. Beltranena says the dressing percentage at slaughter was slightly lower for the pigs fed the low energy diet but that was made up in terms of cost.
He says the cost of the low energy diet was much lower so the overall profit was $2.75 higher for the pigs fed the low energy diet.
Source: Farmscape