F

FEED 2.0
MORE THAN JUST A NUTRITION
DELIVERY SYSTEM

An overview of swine feed advancements

and how they solve problems for todays
producer and the larger global protein crisis
by, Brooke Humphrey, Global Swine
Technology Director, Cargill Animal
Nutrition, Elk River, Minneapolis

or many years, farmers have used a wide

range of breeding and nutrition strategies
to raise the finest production animals
possible. Experimentation with ration
formulation, feed efficiency and selective
breeding has improved animal health
and production quality to unprecedented
levels. But along with these strides have
come unexpected challenges.
While it is true that the global protein deficit is a concern for
the production industry, modern farmers struggle on a day-today basis to balance three important dimensions of production:
economic profitability, operational management and animal
welfare. The feed industry needs to come up with solutions that
address the daily needs of todays producer while taking small
steps toward meeting global demand.
Recent pig nutrition research from Cargill Animal Nutrition
(CAN) demonstrates how providing the right feed at the right
time to sows and piglets can ensure producer profitability
through animal livability. In turn, the cumulative effect of higher
livability in the short-term will potentially have a positive
impact on global supply.

ITS ALL ABOUT DELIVERY

In addition to industry strides in nutrition, producers

are seeking an improved ability to feed the modern
sow as genetic suppliers continue to aim for sows that
produce larger litters. With the increase in litter size
comes a decrease in piglet birth weight and an increase
in nutrient demand. Piglets with a lower birth weight
are also less vital and more susceptible to malnutrition
and disease. Consequently, the sow must spread its
nutrients across more piglets that need better-thanaverage nutrition to survive. More than ever, producers
are feeling the pressure to improve livability due to lower
birth weights and larger litters.
To increase livability, nutrients must first be delivered to
the sow. In 2012, Cargill studied around 1,300 sows across
four farms in France. The research demonstrated that adding a
mixture of antioxidants to a lactating sows feed made it possible
to increase the quality of colostrum, a type of milk containing
antibodies to protect newborns against disease. In essence, the
sows increased immunity is transferred to its piglets, resulting in
higher livability up to the weaning stage.
But its not just feeding the sow that matters. After weaning,
piglets have a critical window before reaching a bodyweight of
25 kg. During that time, optimal nutrition is important, especially
for those with a low birth weight. On the neonatal side, that
means using milk replacers (liquid products) and creep feed (dry
products) as a nutritional supplement to sow milk. By introducing
feed in addition to the sows milk, piglets not only learn feeding
behaviors that help them increase intake after weaning they also
receive the digestive support needed to improve feed intake and
digestive challenges that are common post-weaning.
CANs research led to the development of a nutritional
supplement that, when combined with the critical window for
feed intake, caused increased average weaning weight by 0.5
kg. This improvement is carried over the nursery and growfinishing periods, multiplying the weight advantage by 2.5 and 4
times, respectively. This supplement system has been installed in
more than 350,000 sows across several thousand farms, helping
reduce piglet mortality rates by an average of 3 percent in the
Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
Correct delivery in the neonatal phase is especially important
50 | June 2016 - Milling and Grain

F
in locations like Europe that do not allow antibiotics or restrict
the use of heavy metals. Zinc and copper, cheap additives that
have a tremendous benefit to gut function, are restricted there,
which increases animal susceptibility to diarrhea and other
disease. It is especially important for producers in these regions
to find alternate solutions, such as a CAN-researched additive
that lowers incidents of diarrhea and improves gain during the
weaning transition.

ITS ALL ABOUT PACKAGING

Going beyond a feed form delivery strategy, research at CAN

has confirmed that the way in which nutrients are packaged to the
animal also have an important effect on performance. Increasing
energy intake is most critical in young pigs given the impact
of this nutrient on the development of the digestive system.
Piglets need to eat as much as possible during their critical intake
window, and fat, when packaged correctly, is a key nutrient that
helps them do so.
Most animals, including humans, have a part of the small
intestine called the ileum, which measures nutrients flowing
through the digestive tract. When the ileum senses fat in the
digestive tract, it sends a hormonal signal to the brain to slow
down intake. For humans, this ileal brake is a good thing
consuming full fat foods may discourage overeating.
But to encourage energy intake in piglets, however, CAN is
researching bound fat, lipid energy found in foods that havent
gone through the mechanical process of stripping oil. The ileum
cant sense bound fat, and therefore, doesnt hit the brake. By
feeding pigs ingredients with bound fat instead of unbound or
liquid oil to the feed, farmers can see as much as a 6-percent
improvement in intake in the nursery phase.
While research on bound fat and nutrient delivery is truly at
the forefront of feed research, the prospects for the other areas
of research on practice management are exciting. The intricacies
of animal delivery and digestion are just one part of improving
economics, operations and animal welfare, meeting the needs of
todays producer. By taking small steps toward a short-term goal,
even little piglets can contribute to feeding the future population
of the world.

Milling and Grain - June 2016 | 51