Last week, the US Grains Council sponsored a workshop conducted by Gowans Feed Consulting, where 18 pork producers gathered in Manitoba to learn about DDGS, the economics behind the product and the sourcing and management of the feed ingredient in pig diets.

“The province of Manitoba is Canada’s third-largest pork producer. Its proximity to the Midwest region of the United States makes the importation of US DDGS very attractive,“ said Clarence Froese of Gowans Feed Consulting. “As a result, US DDGS has recently become a commonly used ingredient in Manitoban pig diets.“

Mr Froese said some farms are using US DDGS at levels as high as 40 per cent in diets and that producers representing herds ranging from 300 to 3,000 sows attended the workshop.

“There are significant savings opportunities when feeding US DDGS,“ Mr Froese said. “The nutrient variation between and within ethanol plants require the buyer to be very diligent in procurement and receiving the product so that the nutritionist is accurately formulating for what the mill is bringing in.“

According to Mr Froese, all producers who attended the seminar currently use DDGS in their herds. They had positive opinions about the product.