Newsletters

May, 2008

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PROJECTIONS

If you have not already checked it out, there are profitability projections on the Hormel Feed Website for both Dairy Beef Steers and Feeder Pigs. They are updated weekly. To get to the website, type in www.hormelfeeds.com. Hormel's Territory Managers also have the projections program on their own computers so it is easy to run projections for a more specific set of local cost inputs.

Alternative Feed Ingredients

As the price of corn, soybean meal and anything that includes phosphorus has gone up the interest in alternative feed ingredients has increased. A number of ingredients offer the potential to save money, while still delivering good performance levels whether you work with swine, beef or dairy. Porcine Meat and Bone Meal, Dried Corn Distillers Grains/Solubles and phytase all deserve consideration for regular inclusion in animal diets. Porcine Meat and Bone Meal can often save $2 to $4/ton of complete swine feed when included in a complete balanced diet for pigs in all stages of production. Swine diets can also benefit from the addition of, or increase in the level of, phytase. With current ingredient input costs many producers will find that all three in combination can help control finished diet costs. The Hormel Feed Division can help determine which of these can be of help to specific local conditions. The combination of all three can amount to as much as $12/ton of complete grow – finish feed for pigs. It can be close to $15/ton on sow diets. On the beef side, utilizing wet distillers grains can really help add to the bottom line in many feedlots. There are some trials out there that say that producers need to watch the upper levels of distillers that are added to cattle diets. At about 40% of the total diet intake can start to decline. Also, keep in mind that the inclusion of meat and bone meal for cattle must be of non-ruminant origin. While blood meal is not part of that regulation many dairy producers prefer to use porcine blood meal as a precaution. The same is true for fats. The use of Porcine Choice White Grease in dairy diets has definitely picked up interest.

FACTS, THEORIES, PERCEPTIONS AND MYTHS

It is often interesting, or frustrating, that theories and/or perceptions seem to be viewed as facts long before there is really any proof that the perceived fact really is "fact". Often the media starts promoting a new theory well before there is adequate evidence to support the theory. Unfortunately, too many perceived truths tend to end up being different, or in some cases just plain inaccurate. Almost everyone can probably think of several such "truths". The moral being it likely is good advise in this day of quick judgments, activism and so on to be somewhat skeptical and in the least make sure there really is adequate evidence behind a perceived fact before trying to make it a real fact.

For More Information
Contact:
Hormel Foods Corporation
Feed Division
1 Hormel Place
Austin, MN 55912
PH: 800-533-2228
Website: www.hormelfeeds.com