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USA - Study will examine how kernel traits affect performance in swine, poultry

Published: April 20, 2005
Source : Agriculture Online
How do the kernel traits of the corn in swine and poultry feed influence weight gain and performance? Researchers with Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc., and Iowa State University are working together to identify the relationship through a Golden Harvest-funded study that began in November 2004. The study picks up where a Nebraska beef cattle study left off. Historically, many livestock producers have preferred hard, higher test-weight corn. That line of thinking was challenged by a team of scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Golden Harvest in a 2003 study of feedlot beef cattle performance. Results from that study demonstrated that test weight was not a good indicator of animal performance. "Cattle fed a dry rolled corn-based diet consisting of corn with higher proportions of softer endosperm gained more efficiently compared to cattle fed harder endosperm grain," according to Galen Erickson, UNL Beef Feedlot Research and Extension Specialist and lead researcher on the study. "Results from the beef cattle study taught us how important this knowledge can be for the entire industry," says Rob Robinson, joint operating head at Golden Harvest in Waterloo, Nebraska. "With the added resources of Syngenta, we'll have even more opportunities to step up the pace on our research efforts and to explore how genetics can be put to better use in the field and on the farm for food animal production." The Golden Harvest Agronomy Up Front Research team is now working with researchers at Iowa State University to study the influence of corn kernel characteristics on swine, poultry broiler and poultry layer performance, says Wayne Fithian, Golden Harvest agronomy systems manager. This feeding trial may reveal similarities to the beef cattle study or it could demonstrate a different but equally important set of kernel traits that can be used to predict the best hybrids for feeding swine and poultry, the researchers say. "We know variations exist in feeding value among corn hybrids," Fithian says. "The goal is to identify which hybrids are best suited for the most efficient performance in swine and poultry. Ultimately, that knowledge could be extremely useful for corn, swine and poultry producers." The swine and poultry study, which includes layers, broilers and swine, and six different corn hybrids, is aimed at testing grain characteristics (e.g., kernel size and hardness) as well as animal feeding components such as protein, starch and oil. Corn for the study was raised in a field near Webster City, Iowa. It was harvested in early November 2004, then shipped to Iowa State, where it is being ground and formulated into feed based on National Research Council (NRC) recommendations. The animals are being fed and raised as closely as possible to industry practices so the results will be as useful as possible to growers and livestock producers, according to Kristjan Bregendahl, an animal scientist at Iowa State University in Ames, and lead researcher on the study. Feeding for the swine trials is well underway. The poultry layer trials started in early March, and the broiler trials also began this spring. "We start feeding the pigs at 20 pounds body weight and will take them all the way to market," Bregendahl says. "Along the way, we'll be measuring a variety of outcomes, including feed intake, daily gains and feed utilization. Then, at slaughter, we'll also measure other factors such as percent lean, dressing percentage and fatty acid composition. "Ideally, we'll be able to help growers and livestock producers by defining the nutritional value of different corn-hybrid traits on performance so they can make more informed choices," Bregendahl says.
Source
Agriculture Online
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