Impact of DDGS in a Finishing Hog Ration
US - The use of distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) as feed is greatly influenced by the development of DDGS products that are available in the market, according to a study by Iowa State University.The study finds that newer-generation DDGS products have a higher optimal inclusion rate, reaching the maximum allowable rate of 20% for swine, and they have a higher displacement rate of 0.23 for soymeal and 0.93 for corn.
Although both traditional and newer-generation DDGS products are primarily used as a corn substitute for energy, it will take only a relatively small change in the price or matrix A (or both) for the newer-generation DDGS to primarily substitute for soymeal for the limiting amino acid, lysine.
In contrast, traditional DDGS products have a lower optimal inclusion rate of 7%, and they have a lower displacement rate of 0.75 for corn and 0.08 for soy meal.
This product is primarily used as a corn substitute for energy. When traditional DDGS is introduced in a feed ration, total feed cost declines by 2.64%, or a reduction of $0.29 per cwt of feed. This translates into a $2.17 per head savings in feed cost in a feeder-to-finish operation.
Using newer-generation DDGS reduces feed cost by 9.88%, or a reduction of $1.08 per cwt of feed, saving feeder-finisher operations $8.06 per head. This study suggests that as a substitute product, the price of DDGS will track the price of both corn and soymeal.
It will be more of the former until new-generation DDGS can be used as a primary substitute for soymeal and take a dominant share of the market. Finally, this study clearly points to the critical importance of DDG product innovation to promote widespread and optimal use of DDGS as a feed ingredient, thereby alleviating the food-feed-fuel trade-off.
Further Reading
![]() |
- | You can view our report of the study by clicking here. |