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Low Cost High Fibre Ingredients Lower Feed Costs and Environmental Foot Prints

Research conducted by the University of Saskatchewan shows pork producers can reduce their environmental footprints while lowering their feed costs by incorporating low cost high fibre ingredients into their rations. Researchers with the University of Saskatchewan are examining the carbon footprint left when feeding low cost high fibre feed ingredients to pigs, specifically wheat mill run and culled peas.
 
Dr. Denise Beaulieu, an Assistant Professor Monogastric Nutrition with the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, says, by considering greenhouse gas output when choosing feed ingredients, pork producers can reduce their environmental footprints while lowering their feed costs.
 
Clip-Dr. Denise Beaulieu-University of Saskatchewan:
 
So far, we've got preliminary data and after we put all of this into a computer model it does look like either using a by-product, for example in the wheat mill run, most of the carbon input for that feed production can be offset because they're producing flour for humans.
 
So we're kind of spreading out that carbon over different uses. Whether we're using the wheat mill run or if we use the peas, where we can put into the model the agronomic benefits and the decreased requirements for nitrogen fertilizer, we can show an overall decrease in greenhouse gas output or the global warming potential of pork production by using either these by-products or by incorporating peas into the ration.
Source : Farmscape

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Episode 83: Improve Your Bottom Line with the Power of Feed Testing

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Now that cattle feed has been—or is being—harvested, it’s a good time to start thinking about testing it. While a visual check can help you spot the difference between good and poor-quality feed, it won’t tell you much about energy or protein levels. Only a feed test can give you that information. In this episode, we’ll talk about why feed testing matters, how to do it properly, and how to make sense of the lab results.