K-State to highlight nutrition calculator during annual Swine Day Nov. 20

Kansas State University swine experts have created a new swine calculator that they say can help producers increase profitability on their farms.

The tool, which can be found online at https://www.asi.kstate.edu/extension/swine/calculators.html, will be highlighted during the university’s annual Swine Day, which will be held Nov. 20 in Manhattan.

The calculator predicts pig growth performance and carcass yield based on dietary nutrient composition and user provided ingredient prices to determine the optimal level of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) in the diet.

Corn dried distillers' grains with solubles are commonly used in livestock feed as a source of high energy and protein. According to the K-State swine team, DDGS replace corn and soybean meal in the diet, creating economic value depending on its price relative to the two grains. The high phosphorus content of DDGS also reduces the need for supplemental inorganic phosphorus.

“Corn DDGS are a by-product of ethanol production and a commonly used feed ingredient in swine diets as they are widely available in states with high swine production,” K-State swine nutrition doctoral candidate Mikayla Spinler said. “However, in recent years, ethanol plants have been extracting more starch during the production of ethanol and oil during the production of DDGS, altering the energy value and nutrient composition.”

Spinler said traditionally it was believed that DDGS can be used in the grow-finish diet at an inclusion rate of 30%. With different compositions depending on the ethanol plant, calculating the nutritional value can be challenging because it is not uniform.