June 25, 2024 – Dr. David Rosero, assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University, joins Sarah Muirhead, Feedstuffs, to discuss soybean meal to maximize hog carcass weight.
During summer months, pig producers often face a decline in carcass weight due to the adverse impact of heat stress on pigs and the replacement of soybean meal with intake-reducing ingredients. This situation presents a significant financial hurdle for producers, especially as it usually coincides with peak hog prices, thereby missing potential revenue opportunities.
The prohibitive cost of fats makes the frequently used high-energy density diets economically unfeasible. Leveraging on extensive research that highlights the critical role of soybean meal in enhancing the growth performance of pigs, we propose a summer nutrition program that uses high levels of soybean meal and excludes feed intake-reducing ingredients. Dr. David Rosero, assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University, joins us to discuss.