Effectively managing feed intake for grower-finisher pigs
Profitability of swine producers is affected by a variety of factors, such as feed intake, ingredients availability and market prices. Consider each of these factors when designing your feed programme to ensure today’s optimal feeding won’t become sub-optimal or unprofitable tomorrow. The challenge faced by producers is to how to manage and regularly evaluate their feed management strategies and programmes to support optimal productivity. Thoughtful attention to nutrition and feeding programmes can reap economic benefits, as feed represents the highest cost in the grower-finisher phase of production.
How to recognise
Margin over feed cost and cost per kg of gain are key performance indicators in swine production.
The impact on the farmer
Feed represents 70% of the total cost of producing pork and approximately 75% of this occurs during the grower-finisher phase of production. More attention is needed during this phase to develop a feeding management programme that helps producers increase profitability. Managing feed intake should be prioritised for its impact on nutritional requirements for maintenance, meat and fat growth. Meat growth is the most efficient part of development, with the highest economic value. NutriOpt Swine Model (Watson) guides swine producers to make robust, fact-based decisions for managing and achieving maximum meat growth. The model takes a wide range of factors into consideration to be analysed for different scenarios.