Dr. David Holzgraefe, nutritionist and owner of Holzgraefe Innovative Services, speaks to The Pig Site’s Sarah Mikesell about a new swine nutrition symposium to be held July 24, 2024, at the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Iowa, USA.

Dr. Holzgraefe will be moderating the upcoming Iowa Swine Day Pre-conference Symposium titled: Soybean Meal 360°: Expanding our horizons through discoveries and field-proven feeding strategies for improving pork production.

“The soybean meal landscape is dynamic from the knowledge base it has as well as the application of that knowledge in value-based decisions,” said Dr. Holzgraefe.

Eight leading swine industry experts will cover a range of interrelated topics including:

• U.S. soybean processing industry – the dynamics of change by Gordon Denny, General Manager, Gordon Denny, LLC, Thornton, CO

• Quantifying the value of increased soybean meal crude protein and energy in swine and poultry diets by Micah Pope, MS, Senior Consultant, Centrec Consulting Group, Savoy, IL

• Soybean meal net energy and productive energy are higher in commercial pork production systems by Aaron Gaines, PhD, Managing Partner, Ani-Tek, LLC, Shelbina, MO and Hans Stein, PhD, Professor, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL

• Soybean meal functional compounds – the science behind observations of improved pig health and viability by Amy Petry, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

• Pig growth impaired with soybean meal displacement by Eric van Heugten, PhD, Professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

• The value of dietary soybean meal in preventing carcass weight reduction during summer months by David Rosero, PhD, Assistant Professor of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

• What does all this mean for swine diet formulations? by Bart Borg, PhD, Director of Nutrition, Standard Nutrition Services, Ames, IA

The program will wrap up with all speakers along with Dr. Hans Stein, professor at the University of Illinois, joining a robust question and answer panel discussion moderated by Dr. R. Dean Boyd.

Ready to rethink soybean meal?

It's been a challenging 12 to 18 months for pig producers, yet soybean meal offers an opportunity for producers to reconsider how it is being used in pig diets.

“In commercial pork production, one of the greatest values that we've seen with soybean meal is the increased energy value, and energy is the primary nutrient that producers have to address in formulating pig diets,” he noted.

The higher energy content of soybean meal in commercial settings offers opportunities for producers in their own operations. Plus, the benefits seen in minimizing the impact of heat stress and improving the pig response to health challenges will be informative for attendees and inspire new thinking about soybean meal.

Research and on-farm data

Commercial pork production settings create a real-world environment that isn’t always seen in academic or university studies. Speakers will share research conducted in both settings.

“We’ll be sharing discoveries that we've identified within the university studies that the United Soybean Board helped sponsor, and also research conducted in on-farm studies illustrating the additional value and applications in commercial pork production,” said Dr. Holzgraefe. “It's important to view research from both perspectives, and we've seen some very good benefits to dietary soybean meal in commercial operations.”

Who should participate?

“Our goal is to share this information with university and industry nutritionists along with the next generation of nutritionists,” he said. “Veterinarians and pork producers will also benefit immensely from the information exchange. We want to continue to sharpen each other so that we maintain a strong cutting-edge and create an opportunity for successful pork production.”

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR THE SYMPOSIUM.

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