Feedstuffs in Focus

A gap exists today in production yields seen across the Southeast Asia region as compared to the global average. This industry challenge must be addressed to meet the region’s nutrition needs. Cargill is one company focused on the innovation, investment and infrastructure needed to modernize the industry and serve diverse customer needs.  With its long heritage of more than 75 years in the APAC re...

Hollis Williford was an American artist known for his remarkable versatility and creative range. He excelled in drawing, sculpting, painting and etching. His work earned him esteem among collectors and institutions alike.  The genius of Williford's work is how it often occupied two spaces and two points in time at once.  He also was a master at capturing the peak of action, leaving one wonder...

There is a side of animal disease that tends to get overlooked, and that is the mental health part of the equation. Having to watch or help out as a flock or herd is depopulated. Being the cause of an outbreak and, as a result, shunned by the community and fellow producers. Even the financial impact when disease hits and the stress that can put on the family’s finances and overall home life, or, f...

Balancing the roles of being a parent and an industry professional is possible, but it can, at times, be challenging. As our guest shares, it's okay to step back and not feel guilty that nothing got scratched off that to-do list today. It’s okay to have everything delivered to your doorstep. Likewise, it’s okay to say no thanks to the negative influences of say, social media.  Joining us on t...

Proposition 12 in California continues to be a top-of-the-mind issue for pork producers across the nation. A ruling by the US Supreme Court on Prop 12 is expected by no later than this June. Under Prop 12, producers in California would be required to comply with the new space requirements even if their pigs are not being raised in California. The industry is hopeful the court will rule in its favo...

For the past 12 years, Alltech has taken a look at the global feed industry on an annual basis. The latest snapshot was released last week as part of the 2023 Agri-Food Outlook . Overall, the numbers show world feed production remained steady in 2022 with a slight decrease of 0.42% to 1.266 billion metric tons.  Feed production increased in several regions, including Latin America (1.6%), North Am...

African swine fever can be devastating to a hog operation but what about to a feed manufacturing facility. Research is being conducted at Kansas State University to evaluate the feed safety risk related to the feed manufacturing process and what can be done to mitigate that risk. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as relying on the heat of the pellet mill to kill the virus and/or removal of dust fr...

In the US swine industry, the thinking has long been that the feeding of high zinc levels offers health and productivity benefits to pigs. In fact, research has confirmed the positive effect of elevated dietary zinc. However, zinc can have negative effects for the environment and public health. Today, we talk with Dr. Jerry Shurson, professor of swine nutrition at the University of Minnesota, to f...

What does the future of agriculture look like? It’s a question often pondered as one year draws to a close and another dawns, with prognosticators thinking about everything from market outlook and economic conditions to questions of technology, innovation, and the rate of change in the business. Aidan Connolly, a long-time feed industry leader now working as an investor in the ag-tech space via hi...

Biosecurity is one of the most important aspects of a successful livestock enterprise, with a growing number of threats in the form of viral disease outbreaks or the potential for foreign animal disease incursion. Technologies to help producers in the fight are proliferating, including a new app to help producers, veterinarians, and public health officials share information as quickly as possible....

Viral diseases are a top-of-mind concern for the U.S. livestock industry, and perhaps most especially in the swine business. Experts recently gathered in downtown Chicago at the North American PRRS Symposium to discuss topics ranging from virus transmission and biosecurity to specific concerns about senecavirus. Scott Dee is director of research at Pipestone Applied Research. Dee is one of the lea...

Congress intervened this week in an effort to avert an economy-crippling rail strike. What does the labor conflict mean for agriculture, and the feed industry in general? And what does the situation tell us about vulnerabilities to the U.S. logistics infrastructure system? Late Thursday, the Senate approved a resolution to implement a tentative agreement brokered by the Biden administration with r...

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the price of the average Thanksgiving dinner for 10 this year is up 20% as inflation continues to take a bite out of the U.S. consumer’s wallet. But are media reports of potential shortages of butter and turkey accurate, or are these key holiday meal ingredients readily available? Throughout the month of October and into November, news stories sugg...

The poultry industry plays a significant role in U.S. agriculture, from providing chicken, turkey and eggs to consumers to consuming a goodly quantity of feed ingredients and related services. But how big, overall, is the economic footprint of the combined industry? And what does the trend look like in terms of economic growth tied to U.S. poultry production? The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association...

Agricultural research at land-grant universities is an important part of the story of the success of U.S. agriculture of the past century. One university researcher working on mitigating the livestock industry’s role in climate change came under attack this week for the sin of… working with the livestock industry? This week the New York Times and the environmental activist group Greenpeace targete...

Welcome to this episode of Feedstuffs Swine Healthline, brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health and focused on writing and executing effective swine health protocols. One aspect of the job as a swine veterinarian is helping your customers or your teams develop and write swine health protocols.  No matter how good the protocol, it won’t work to protect pigs if the steps aren’t being executed in t...

As nutritionists and livestock producers focus more on the intestinal health of animals, more attention has been paid to pre, pro, and postbiotics. But a good deal of misunderstanding remains about what these products are, and what they might do for the animal’s health and productivity. At the 4th annual Kemin Intestinal Health Symposium earlier this month, veterinarians, nutritionists and food an...

Welcome to this episode of Feedstuffs Swine Healthline, brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health and focused on transitioning a sow herd or pig flow to high-health status. You’ve probably heard the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Today’s guest says that’s how it can feel when dealing with a chronic disease challenge in...

In recent years the livestock industry has focused more attention and research on the topic of intestinal health in food animal production. At a recent industry symposium on the topic, a leading veterinarian at one of the nation’s largest swine production systems discussed the swine vet’s perspective and advice. At the 4th annual Kemin Intestinal Health Symposium last week veterinarians, nutrition...

Welcome to this episode of Feedstuffs Swine Healthline, brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health and focused on endemic bacterial agents.  Increasingly, the swine industry's attention is focused on epidemic agents, such as PRRS and PED, or the constant threat of foreign animal diseases, such as African Swine Fever. In this episode, we switch gears and talking about an ever-present challenge...

Dairy producers face a number of challenges in producing milk profitably, and an understanding of rumen function and ways nutritional strategies can unlock additional pounds of milkfat is one avenue for increasing the opportunity for profitability. At the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this month, Novus International debuted a new program called Scale Up™; the program is designed...

Welcome to this episode of Feedstuffs Swine Healthline, brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health and focused on what the latest veterinary diagnostic data tells us about the state of PRRS in the U.S. Our guest is Dr. Daniel Linhares, associate professor and director of graduate education at Iowa State University. Dr. Linhares provides the latest data and discusses what it says about the current s...

Farmers and ranchers around the world are increasingly forced to adapt to changing weather patterns. And while a lot of agricultural research has focused on mitigation strategies for crop production, livestock producers face a unique set of challenges that have not yet received the same level of academic inquiry. One professor at the University of Illinois is working to change that. A new study fr...

Have you ever said the phrase, “If it isn’t one thing, it’s another?” Usually said in frustration while feeling like you're beset from all sides with challenges, it’s a phrase agricultural shippers are probably thinking lately, as the commodity logistics chain finds itself dealing with challenges related to ocean freight rates, container availability, possible rail strikes, not enough truck d...

The transmission of disease-causing pathogens via feed ingredients has garnered a tremendous amount of study in recent years. With the specter of African Swine Fever in the minds of every U.S. pork producer, understanding the survivability of viral pathogens in a variety of vectors is critically important to adequate biosecurity on hog farms. Dr. Scott Dee is a veterinarian and research at Pipesto...