Minerals -- Minerals serve many important functions in pig nutrition. These range from structural functions in bone to a wide variety of chemical reactions essential for maintenance, growth, reproduction and lactation. Pigs require at least 13 minerals. Of these calcium, chloride, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium and zinc should routinely be added to the diet. Practical corn-or milo-soybean meal based diets contain sufficient levels of magnesium, potassium and sulfur.

Protein and Amino Acids -- Pigs of all ages and stages of the life cycle require amino acids to enable them to grow and reproduce. Amino acids are the structural units of protein. During digestion, proteins are broken down into amino acids and peptides.

The amino acids and peptides are absorbed into the body and are used to build new proteins, such as muscle. Thus, pigs require amino acids, not protein. Diets that are “balanced” with respect to amino acids contain a desirable level and ratio of the 10 essential amino acids required by pigs for maintenance, growth, reproduction and lactation. Those 10 essential amino acids for swine are arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.

An essential part of a sound feeding strategy is to make good decisions on which ingredients to use in the diet. Ingredients provide nutrients that pigs require for normal performance. Pigs do not require specific ingredients in their diet, but instead require energy and nutrients such as amino acids, minerals and vitamins. There are numerous ingredients available to use in pig feed. Information in this section is intended to help people make good decisions on sources of nutrients.

Proper feed management is important to all U.S. swine operations. Feed procurement, safe storage, optimum diet preparation, and timely distribution are management decisions that strongly influence the financial health of operations. On modern swine operations, feed management is used not only to optimize pig performance, but also to prevent and treat swine disease, reduce nutrient excretions and objectionable odors, and reduce the risk of Salmonella in the final pork product.

The USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) collected data on swine health and management practices from a random sample of swine production sites in 17 States1 as part of the Swine 2000 study. These sites represented 94 percent of the U.S. pig inventory and 92 percent of U.S. pork producers with 100 or more pigs. Overall, 2,499 swine production sites participated in the first interview from June 1, 2000, through July 14, 2000. A second interview was completed by 895 of these sites between August 21, 2000, and November 3, 2000. A final interview was completed by 799 of these sites between December 1, 2000, and February 28, 2001. For estimates in this report, small, medium, and large sites refer to sites with less than 2,000, 2,000 to 9,999, and 10,000 or more pigs in total inventory, respectively. Some comparisons in this report are made to findings from the NAHMS Swine ’95 study conducted five years previously.

Utilizing Glycerol in Swine and Poultry Diets: I. Feed Manufacturing Considerations and II. Nutritional Consequences

II. Objectives of research project:
1) Quantify the physical and chemical consistencies of glycerol sourced from multiple biodiesel
production facilities.
2) Quantify the storage characteristics of glycerol under varying environmental conditions.
3) Evaluate the effects of glycerol on feed dustiness and feed flowability.
4) Evaluate the effects of glycerol on the pelleting process and pellet quality.