Swine Producers Advised to Focus on Energy When Formulating Rations
CANADA - Farm-Scape: Episode 2219. Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.
14 August 2006
3 minute read
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Figures released by the Canadian Wheat Board indicate western Canadian barley production with be substantially lower than last year while the volume of grain downgraded to feed from the harvest of fall seeded cereals will also be substantially reduced.
Manitoba Pork Council swine production specialist and CQA coordinator Miles Beaudin recommends supplementing diets with alternative sources of energy, including higher energy grains such as corn.
"Typically we'll use barley and wheat based diets but one thing we can't forget about is energy levels.
Energy levels have to be considered as one of the leading costs of formulating a diet.
Energy is going to be at a premium.
Producers can use tallow, vegetable oils or they could source it directly from a grain and corn is pretty much your highest energy grain.
With ethanol plants being developed, corn prices will be going up.
There's no doubt about that.
Fortunately these elevated prices in corn, which we expect to go up, have not been factored into futures prices so there's numerous articles out there that are urging producers to hedge corn or to buy corn on futures, which have not reflected this price, as far into the future as possible because, again, this increase in price has not been factored in yet to the futures."
Beaudin suggests, with feed costs expected to rise, it'll be even more important for farmers to look at all of their energy sources and to consider grains specifically for their available energy when balancing rations.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
Farm-Scape, Episode 2219
Manitoba Pork Council is encouraging swine producers to focus on energy as one way of managing anticipated higher feed costs this winter.Figures released by the Canadian Wheat Board indicate western Canadian barley production with be substantially lower than last year while the volume of grain downgraded to feed from the harvest of fall seeded cereals will also be substantially reduced.
Manitoba Pork Council swine production specialist and CQA coordinator Miles Beaudin recommends supplementing diets with alternative sources of energy, including higher energy grains such as corn.
"Typically we'll use barley and wheat based diets but one thing we can't forget about is energy levels.
Energy levels have to be considered as one of the leading costs of formulating a diet.
Energy is going to be at a premium.
Producers can use tallow, vegetable oils or they could source it directly from a grain and corn is pretty much your highest energy grain.
With ethanol plants being developed, corn prices will be going up.
There's no doubt about that.
Fortunately these elevated prices in corn, which we expect to go up, have not been factored into futures prices so there's numerous articles out there that are urging producers to hedge corn or to buy corn on futures, which have not reflected this price, as far into the future as possible because, again, this increase in price has not been factored in yet to the futures."
Beaudin suggests, with feed costs expected to rise, it'll be even more important for farmers to look at all of their energy sources and to consider grains specifically for their available energy when balancing rations.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
