Evaluating feed ingredients can accomplish two things. First, by constantly checking the nutrient content of ingredients, you can adjust some formulas to make the best use of ingredients and reduce feed costs. You can also determine which ingredients, in addition to corn, are suited for your farm.
There are many alternative ingredients available for use in swine feed. Some are inexpensive but do not contain the nutrient content and quality of the ingredient being replaced. Others appear to be expensive, but they reduce feed cost when properly formulated. Still others are less expensive than the ingredient to be replaced and have both the nutrient content and quality.
Tankage is a protein source some producers use to replace soybean meal. Typically, tankage is cheaper than soybean meal, although the quality of the product varies considerably. Replacing soybean meal with low quality tankage can reduce the cost per ton of feed, but this will also reduce pig performance. The result may be an increase in the cost of production even though the feed is cheaper.
At first glance, wheat appears to be more expensive than corn. Part of this is because of the higher test weight for wheat (60 pounds per bushel versus 56 pounds for corn). If corn costs $3.00 per bushel and wheat $3.21 per bushel, the cost is actually equal ($5.36 per hundredweight). Even if wheat is more expensive than corn, it can reduce feed costs. The metabolizable energy content of wheat is the same as for corn (1,500 kilocalories per pound), but wheat contains more lysine (0.30 percent versus 0.24 percent). Replacing corn with wheat in a corn-soybean meal diet decreases the amount of soybean meal needed. The higher cost for wheat may be offset by the decrease in the amount of soybean meal needed.
Grain sorghum is another alternative to corn that costs less. The price of grain sorghum is usually 80 to 85 percent of the price of corn. The nutrient content of grain sorghum is similar to that of corn. On average, grain sorghum contains 9.2 percent protein, 0.22 percent lysine, and 1,425 kilocalories of metabolizable energy per pound. Corn contains 0.24 percent lysine and 1,500 kilocalories of metabolizable energy per pound. Replacing corn with grain sorghum may increase the feed required by 5 percent, but it costs 15 to 20 percent less than corn. The result is a decrease in the cost of production, even though the amount of feed required may increase.
Commercial products are often difficult to evaluate, as the feed tag supplies the only information on the product. By law, the tag must include a guaranteed analysis, a list of ingredients, and instructions for feeding. Unfortunately, there is often too little information on the tag for a thorough evaluation. Complete supplements are the most difficult to evaluate because of their complexity. A complete supplement should complement the grain used by supplying amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, salt, trace minerals, and vitamins. Because of the increased use of synthetic amino acids, supplements are even more difficult to evaluate. The supplement tag will provide some of the information required for evaluation. However, the producer using a complete supplement must rely on the manufacturer for additional information.
Typically, commercial basemixes should supply the calcium, phosphorus, salt, trace minerals, and vitamins not found in adequate amounts in the grain and soybean meal. Table 2 contains the minimum levels of selected nutrients that a basemix should contain at various feeding levels. To evaluate a basemix, compare the basemix tag or, preferably, a laboratory analysis of the basemix, to the table. For example, a basemix for finishing hogs (110 pounds to market) formulated to be fed with corn and soybean meal (44 percent) at 60 pounds per ton should contain a minimum of 17.5 percent calcium, 7.0 percent phosphorus, and 11.7 percent salt. A competent nutritionist can provide a more complete evaluation. As with a supplement, the producer must rely on the manufacturer for information on vitamin levels.
By considering cost and nutrient content, you can better evaluate alternative
feed ingredients. Computerized diet formulation combines ingredients to
produce the cheapest possible diet that meets all nutrient requirements.