Swine nutrition and feeding management is a complex process. Feed is the largest single item among the costs of producing pork, historically accounting for about two-thirds to three-fourths of total costs in farrow-to-finish or grow-finish systems.
Animals from different operations or systems will have different dietary needs due to differences in genetics, management, environment, etc., that will all affect voluntary feed intake and growth and reproductive performance. Underfeeding nutrients reduces pig performance, while oversupplying nutrients increases diet cost.
Therefore, pork producers are encouraged to employ a comprehensive feeding program based on sound principles and tailored to the operation.
The National Swine Nutrition Guide has just been released to provide practical feeding and nutrition guidelines in addition to computer software allowing direct application to practical feeding situations. This guide, developed as a national collaborative effort among various state land grant university Extension services and the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence, replaces previous state-specific guides and was developed to enhance the understanding of basic nutrition, feeding principles and related management practices, and to serve as a reference for pork producers, students, educators and allied industry personnel.
Users of the National Swine Nutrition Guide will be able to estimate the nutritional needs of pigs by considering specific factors that affect nutrient recommendations.
In order to ensure that the National Swine Nutrition Guide is current and relevant to the pork industry, the assistance of many people representing various facets of the pork industry was solicited. Also, in situations where “gray areas” existed, these industry representatives made specific proposals or recommendations.
Therefore, the ultimate goal of the project was to utilize the knowledge of respected swine professionals who represent a cross section of the pork industry to improve the application of this publication. The fact sheets resulting from this project are available free of charge at the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence website, www.usporkcenter.org.
In addition, due in part to a U.S. soybean growers association grant, training workshops are being held throughout the United States this winter enhancing understanding of the guide and utilization of the nutrient estimator and ration formulator software.
One such training program will be held in Owatonna on March 11. Cost to participate in the workshop, which also provides the participant with a hard copy of the guide and computer software, is $80, while separate purchase of the guide and software without attending a program is $125. Students wishing to attend a workshop and receive materials can do so free of charge.
Registration is requested at least one to two weeks prior to the workshop, and can be done online at the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence website. Feel free to contact myself — whitn007@umn.edu, (507) 389-5541 — if you have any questions regarding the guide, software or workshops.
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“The Pork Professor” is a monthly column created by members of the University of Minnesota Swine Extension team. This column was written by Mark Whitney, University of Minnesota Extension Service Swine Extension educator at the regional center in Mankato.
