Feedstuffs in Focus

When it comes to animal welfare, the rules and regulations can often be vague and hard to keep up with. How best to sort through it all and make sure your operation is in compliance, particularly with Prop 12 on the horizon come January 2024?During this week’s Allen D. Leman Swine Conference we caught up with Jason McAlister, President and CEO of CloverLeaf Animal Welfare Systems, to get a status update on how certification, among other things, under Prop 12 is progressing. McAlister created CloverLeaf in 2017 with the goal of making animal welfare easy, accessible and widespread throughout the world.For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com,  and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

The National Oilseed Processors Association and the United Soybean Board recently unveiled a new study examining the value of the American soybean industry. The study, “The Economic Impact of the U.S. Soybeans & End Products on the U.S. Economy,” found that the total economic impact of the US economy from the soybean sector is around $124 billion annually. Breaking that down, it comes to $85.7 billion from soy production and $9.8 billion from the processing side of the soy industry.During the recent Farm Progress Show we caught up with Mac Marshall, Vice President of Market Intelligence with the United Soybean Board, to get more details on the recently completed study of the soybean industry to the overall economy and to get an update on exports and the food vs fuel debate. What might all the extra soybean meal mean for those of us in the US livestock industry.  This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.comFor more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com,  and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

In this episode, host Sarah Muirhead talks with Dr. R.Dean Boyd and Dr. Aaron Gaines about establishing reliable net energy (NE) values for soybean meal (SBM) in commercial growing and finishing swine diets. Boyd and Gaines are the authors of a recently published Feedstuffs article, “Soybean meal NE value for growing pigs is greater in commercial environments.”Typically, academic research facilities lack pathogen and/or environmental stressors that are encountered in commercial barns, which typically house 1000 pigs or more per room. The authors discuss how the apparent difference in NE estimates between academic and commercial environments are determined and will propose that health-promoting molecules specific to SBM contribute to the difference.Listeners can learn more about why there is a difference between the two environments (as well as a comparison to other industry references, such as NRC) and the key takeaways in terms of new opportunities – and value – for the industry.

What might this fall harvest season have in store when it comes to the markets and market prices? Where might the cost of diesel and propane be as growers fire up those combines and grain driers? What about the market for various feed ingredients? Is it advisable to stock up now or hold off a bit on those purchases? The markets for beef cattle and hogs look to be making some adjustments as well. What might those look like as we head into the end of the year? Lots of questions and to find out more we caught up with Andrew McCarty and Domenic Varricchio, co-founders of Pluto Commodities, during this week’s Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.comFor more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com, www.BeefMagazine.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

Meat discoloration during retail display is a process characterized by changes in the pigment of meat. In beef, that discoloration has been linked back to muscle type. Studies regarding the color stability of different pork muscles, however, has been more limited. Joining us today to talk about meat discoloration at retail is Dr. Bailey Harsh, assistant professor of meat science in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Illinois. Dr. Harsh’s research is dedicated to the development of application-focused solutions aimed at challenges in food and production agriculture and increasing consumer demand for meat products.This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is sponsored byTopigs Norsvin.  Swine genetics company Topigs Norsvin is renowned for its innovative approach to implementing new technologies and its continuous focus on cost-efficient and sustainable pig production.  Research, innovation, and dissemination of genetic improvements are the cornerstones of the company.  For more information, visit TopigsNorsvin.us.For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform. 

When looking to increase crop yields, a stable biological environment really should be the ultimate goal.Environmental needs vary from crop to crop, but the one constant is that each crop has an optimal environment to support maximum yields and crop quality. Creating and maintaining this environment is key to a successful farm. Joining us to talk about how best to achieve an optimal biological environment through high-quality data that is collected through well planned, accurate field trials is Dr. Sagi Katz, Vice President Agronomy at Agmatix. Agmatix is an agro infomatics company offering data-driven solutions for ag professionals worldwide.For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

Pet owners will soon find updated packaging and labels when shopping for pet food and specialty pet food products. This is because the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has approved new suggested labeling guidelines. Guidelines that will ensure consistency and transparency and allow consumers to more easily make more informed buying decisions for their pets.Passage of the revised Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food sets a new standard for pet food manufacturers and distributors and is the result of feed regulatory professionals across the United States and Canada working cooperatively with consumers and professionals within the pet food industry on a strategic course to ensure pet food labels provide a more comprehensive view of the product.Joining us in the episode with all the details is Austin Therrell, Executive Director of AAFCO.  We talk about what the new guidelines will mean for pet owners and feed manufacturers. We also talk about what's ahead in terms of adoption of the new guidelines at the state level and, for that matter, what may be the best approach to the regulation of pet foods and animal food. For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.  

Productive Energy, also known as Arkansas NE, is a way of more efficiently influencing performance, breast meat yield and even the economics and sustainability of broiler production, say  researchers.It is thought to be the only energy system that can significantly predict the feed conversion ratio and feed intake for broilers. It’s a way of looking at what happens in the bird in terms of body composition.Research is underway at the University of Arkansas looking at the area of productive energy, and to date they have found very interesting results that indicated perhaps a change may be needed in how broiler diets are formulated. Joining us from the Poultry Science Assn annual meeting in Philadelphia is Diego Martinez from University of Arkansas. Martinez is Program Associate in Dr. Craig Coon's poultry nutrition lab at the University of Arkansas.This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.com.For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform. 

Is it possible to build a better laying hen? Perhaps so, according to University of Guelph researchers.During the Poultry Science Assn. annual meeting in Philadelphia earlier this week,  Drs. Tina Widowski and Ana Rentsch shared their findings on how bird welfare can influence bird productivity throughout the bird's lifetime. Their work has shown how a modification of early life experience along with attention to bird welfare and health can make a difference particularly when paired with specific housing systems. The results they were reporting on at PSA were largely focused on birds being house in aviaries. For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform. 

Alltech has introduced Triad, an innovative solution that promotes successful farrowing and pig livability through a palatable, proprietary blend of Alltech ingredients. During World Pork Expo, our Ann Hess caught up with Andy Rash, general manager of Alltech’s U.S. swine business to find out more about Triad and what opportunities it has to offer hog producers. As Rash explains, sow throughput can be compromised by a higher incidence of stillborn pigs and pre-wean death losses, decreasing overall performance for swine producers. Effective during short feeding intervals, Triad supports sows during parturition and lessened pre-wean mortality, driving more pigs and more pounds long-term.“Helping producers keep more pigs they work so hard to produce in the production chain is a great challenge to address,” Rash said. “The industry makes such a large investment in total pigs born but focusing on pigs weaned is the real opportunity.”This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is brought to you by Alltech, a global leader in animal nutrition. For more information on Alltech and Triad, visit Alltech.com.For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.