Advancing energy and nutrient utilization for a resilient animal nutrition industry

Feed cost accounts for the largest proportion of the production cost of poultry and swine production. Further, the recent disruptions in the supply chain for feed ingredients and the continued consumer demand for food of animal origin that is sustainably produced dictates the need for solutions that utilize locally available resources. In the face of these challenges, significant progress towards a resilient Canadian animal nutrition industry can be realized by reducing dependency on international supply chains for inputs and enhancing utilization of locally produced crops and their co-products, especially using human non-edible feed sources to produce high-quality food of animal origin. Also, using nutritional principles to minimize the environmental footprint of livestock production is critical to the long-term sustainability of the livestock industry. To achieve these goals, locally produced feedstuffs and co-products must be fully characterized in terms of their chemical composition and nutritional value for different classes of poultry and swine. As energy, protein and phosphorus are the three most expensive components in poultry and swine diets, it is logical that any such efforts are directed at these components to meaningfully impact feed cost and mitigate the environmental footprint associated with livestock production. Based on this, there has been a concerted effort in the recent past in Canada to characterize established as well as novel feedstuffs in terms of their nutritive values and to examine the role of technology and processing techniques in enhancing energy and nutrient utilization. Results from these studies will be presented with a particular emphasis on energy, protein, and phosphorus utilization.

Keywords: feed cost, environmental impact, energy and nutrient utilization.