By Pat Melgares
Kansas State University swine specialists have updated their popular nutrition guide with the latest recommendations for nursery pigs, sows and finishing pigs.
Bob Goodband, K-State Research and Extension specialist in swine nutrition and management, said the information covers swine producer’s most frequently asked questions about nutrition and the specifics to each phase of production.
“It covers a lot of recommendations that can be quickly applied to a producer’s nutrition program,” Goodband said. “It should be able to help people with decision-making on products and nutrient specifications to help improve pig performance and lower feed costs.”
Graduate students Mariana Menegat and Hayden Williams helped lead the recent updates along with K-State faculty in applied swine nutrition.
The K-State Swine Nutrition guide was initially produced in the 1970s and is updated periodically, Goodband said. In 2019, K-State’s swine team added sections on general nutrition and nursery pigs; and earlier this year, finished sections on the breeding herd and finishing pigs. All of the recommendations are based on university research.
The guide is available online at KSUswine.org.
“In addition to the nutrition guide, that site has a lot of other information, such as premix specifications, nutrient requirements, and tools for estimating the changes in growth and profitability,” Goodband said.
Some of the online resources that K-State provides include tools for budgeting feed; estimating changes in production when adjusting pig space stocking densities; and estimating feed efficiency and return on investment when making changes to the diet.
Source : k-state.edu