Swine Grist
A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS VOLUME 24, ISSUE 2 | SUMMER 2022
Dear Friends, Already well into July, with winter wheat starting to be harvested, and frequent prayers going up for rain to supply moisture to other crops in the ground, we are pleased to provide various information updates and suggestions to assist our customers in providing the best possible production at the lowest possible cost. As with almost any serious topic these days, feeding regime decision making strategies are multifactorial and complicated as ingredient availability, and landed cost change significantly each day with the market volatility that we are all experiencing. In recent weeks, we have witnessed grain and some oil seed futures markets drop significantly but current cash prices remain stubbornly high soy meal especially. Gratefully, we have been blessed with historically high market hog prices in North America this past year, allowing for the potential of profits at the farm gate in spite of extraordinarily high input costs. Although always the case, current market realities augment the need for a focus on alternative feedstuffs, amino acid supplementation and very mindful ration formulation, seeking to minimize feed cost per tonne, optimize feed efficiency and animal performance and maximize profit per kg of pork produced on farm. We trust that the articles contained in this summer’s edition of the Swine Grist, authored by our Swine Valley Fortifiers Specialists and Nutritionists will assist in your decision making and strategic plans for your operation. As David Ross describes below, we are sincerely looking forward to having the opportunity to reconnect in person with our customers from across the province at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock in September. Until then, may the Lord bless you and your operation with timely and adequate rain for your crops, efficient production in your livestock operation and good health and happiness within your family. Sincerely, Ian Ross, President & CEO
NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES TO ALLEVIATE HEAT STRESS IN SOWS
ompared to other animals, pigs are naturally more sensitive to heat as they lack sweat glands and have relatively small lungs compared to their body size, making it harder for them to release heat by panting. The thermoneutral zone for sows ranges from 15 to 22°C with 60 to70 % relative humidity. Therefore, when the temperature rises above the sow’s upper critical temperature (24 -25°C), a sow is unable to or has more difficulty maintaining her homeostatic body temperature. This in turn means she will suffer from “heat stress”. The impact of heat stress on sows has been well documented. However, many underestimate how heat stress negatively influences sow performance and longevity. Modern pigs are more prone to heat stress compared to the ones from decades ago as they are leaner and more productive which contributes to generating more body heat.
increased blood pH. Respiratory alkalosis causes imbalances of various biochemical and physiological functions in the sows body, therefore effort should be made to avoid it. Heat stress can also impair feed digestibility in sows, which can lead to negative energy balance, poor body condition and less milk yield. During heat stress, more blood flow is redistributed towards the periphery of the sow to release excess heat. This results in reduced blood flow to other organs including the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) which can result in inflammation, oxidative stress, and damaged tissues. Consequently, heat stress is in large part an immune response associated with “leaky gut.” Heat stress can also compromise reproductive efficiency. Sows exposed to high temperatures have smaller and slower follicular growth after weaning. This results in increased number of sows showing anestrus and silent estrus, ovulation failure, and longer weaning to estrus intervals (WEI). It is important to remember that the follicular size at weaning determines the WEI. Additionally, sows mated in the summer months tend to have lower farrowing rates, which is likely due to early pregnancy disruption. Given all the above, we can clearly see that managing heat stress is critical in sows.
Impact of heat stress in sows
Nutritional strategies to alleviate heat stress
by: YOUNGJI RHO Monogastric Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers
C
Reduced feed intake (FI) is often seen in sows suffering from heat stress. The reduced FI can be due to the animal trying to reduce the heat produced by consuming feed. Heat stressed sows can also suffer from respiratory alkalosis. Blood alkalosis occurs when sows are panting excessively, leading to increased losses of CO2 in the body, resulting in GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS PO Box 726 Cambridge ON N1R 5W6 1-800-567-4400 grandvalley.com
There are environmental management and nutritional strategies to avoid or reduce the impact of heat stress on sows. Environmental strategies such as, better ventilation, drip/sprinkler cooling, floor cooling and reducing the pen density can be very effective. However, these environmental changes may not be possible at certain facilities and/or
Ian Ross, President & CEO | David Ross, VP & CMO Tom Reidy | Martin Clunies, Ph.D. | Tanka Khanal, Ph.D. | Adam Totafurno | Youngji Rho, Ph.D., Monogastric Nutritionists
may require more time and investment. Although less direct, nutritional strategies can be quicker and effective when environmental changes can not be made.
Water is the most important nutrient as it plays a role in various metabolic functions. Therefore, water supply is crucial all year round, but especially during the summer months as requirements increase. Water lines should be checked more often to make sure good supply of clean water is being provided, and the drinker height should be checked for easier access. Changing the feeding time to a cooler time of the day such as the early morning and late evenings may improve the feed intake. However, if this is not possible other nutritional strategies should be considered. As mentioned above, reduced feed intake in sows during heat stress is one of the major concerns. Feeding a diet formulated to have low thermic effect can reduce the heat generated from feed consumption. This can be accomplished by increasing the use of fat sources, reducing the protein and/or fiber content of the diet. Compared to other energy sources, fat has the highest digestibility and generates the least amount of internal heat. Reducing protein content in the diet can also reduce the amount of heat being produced during protein digestion. It has been shown that when a low protein diet (13.8 vs 18.7% CP) was fed to lactating sows, heat production decreased from 288.7 to 154.8 MJ/(BW0.75) in sows housed under thermal neutral conditions. However, while reducing the protein content, it is important to supply and balance the amino acids required with the currently available crystalline amino acids. In recent years, a lot of attention has been focused on “fiber”, as gut health has been the hot topic. However, fiber fermentation which occurs in the hindgut generates heat. Therefore, fiber inclusion should be also carefully looked at during times of heat stress. As mentioned earlier, heat stress can cause alkalosis. Supplying electrolytes such as sodium or potassium can restore the electrolytic balance. This can be supplied in feed or in water. Betaine supplementation can protect cells from osmotic stress, especially in the GIT as high osmotic regulation occurs in the GIT. Betaine is also known to convert homocysteine to methionine. Sulfur amino acids such as methionine and cysteine are critical in maintaining intestinal function and integrity. During heat stress as gut barrier function is compromised, supplying methionine can increase epithelial regeneration. It has been also found that betaine supplementation to lactating sows experiencing heat stress resulted in increased follicle development and numerically increased farrowing rate. Additionally, supplementing extra levels of feed additives like zinc and antioxidants (e.g., Vitamin E and selenium) have been shown to protect the intestinal barrier integrity during heat stress as well. Fatty acids especially n-3 and n-6 are critical in oocyte quality as it is an energy substrate for oocyte maturation and are precursors for prostaglandins which is important for uterine health postpartum, follicle develoment, and ovulation. During heat stress, with the reduced FI and negative energy balance, it is important to supplement these fatty acids as they can be depleted.
It is important to understand the detrimental impact of heat stress to sows, and the options to alleviate it. Making management changes to reduce the environmental impact on sows should be priority #1. Combining nutritional strategies along with improved environmental conditions can help reduce the negative impacts of heat stress even further, allowing your sows to remain healthy and productive year-round. Liu, F., Zhao, W., Le, H. H., Cottrell, J. J., Green, M. P., Leury, B. J., and Bell, A. W. (2021). What have we learned about the effects of heat stress on the pig industry?. Animal, 100349. Lucy, M. C., & Safranski, T. J. (2017). Heat stress in pregnant sows: thermal responses and subsequent performance of sows and their offspring. Molecular Reproduction and Development, 84(9), 946-956. Mayorga, E. J., Renaudeau, D., Ramirez, B. C., Ross, J. W., and Baumgard, L. H. (2019). Heat stress adaptations in pigs. Animal Frontiers, 9(1), 54-61. Williams, A. M., Safranski, T. J., Spiers, D. E., Eichen, P. A., Coate, E. A., and Lucy, M. C. (2013). Effects of a controlled heat stress during late gestation, lactation, and after weaning on thermoregulation, metabolism, and reproduction of primiparous sows. Journal of animal science, 91(6), 2700-2714. Zhang, S., Johnson, J. S., and Trottier, N. L. (2020). Effect of dietary near ideal amino acid profile on heat production of lactating sows exposed to thermal neutral and heat stress conditions. Journal of animal science and biotechnology, 11(1), 1-16.
COMMODITY PRICES GOING UP, UP, AND AWAY?
by: MARTIN CLUNIES, PHD & KEN VANDERHEYDEN Monogastric Nutrition, Garand Valley Fortifiers
W
ho would have thought that after the increase in grain and commodities prices to mid October of 2021, that they would continue to rise further? Certainly not us! In the interim grains and protein concentrates have risen another 34 to 40%. Back in October 2021 corn and Soybean meal was $254 and $513 respectively, now that looks like a great deal compared to the present cost of $395 and $715 respectively. Similarly, DDGS the next most popular alternative ingredient of most livestock diets has seen a 34% rise in price from $290 to $390 today. Also, the price of the amino acid, lysine has almost doubled during this time, while fat has also doubled albeit over the last 15 months. Thankfully, the price of hogs and cattle have also risen, as a result maximizing the performance and weight of each has been the objective of farmers. All these have increased the demand for high quality, performance diets to take advantage of these great livestock markets. The question is where do we go from here? The war in the Ukraine has certainly had an impact on the rise in prices and will continue to impact our grain prices going forward. The Ukraine with its rich soils today accounts for 12.3 % of the world’s 2020 corn exports. In 2019, the Ukraine increased its corn production to 35.9 million metric tonnes, from 25 million in 2017. Exporting more than 20 million metric tonnes of corn in 2020, ranked the Ukraine 4th largest exporter behind United States, Brazil and Argentina in that order. The Ukraine accounts for 8% of the world’s wheat exports, ranked 5th behind Russia, United States of America, Canada and France. With the war, the planting of corn and wheat in the Ukraine are suspect to this point. In a world where supply and consumption are within 2-4 percentage points of each other, the disappearance of the Ukraine’s contribution to world grain exports could have a big impact on the future prices of corn and wheat. In retrospect, Russia accounts for 11.6% of world oil exports, yet look at the impact that sanctioning oil has had on the global energy market, all this from an industry that just has to open the taps a bit more for supply. With
Swine Grist corn and wheat, we have to wait on the next growing season and the impact of weather and growing conditions on eventual yields. What I am suggesting is we tighten the seat belts, we may be going for a bit more of a wild ride, not being sure of how much that has been accounted for I think we may be partly there already. So, what are the strategies going forward for economical minded livestock farmers? We assume that most producers grow the corn their birds, or livestock require, or a good proportion of that. As indicated previously, securing the protein supply has been the most pressing priority for livestock farmers. Maximizing the use of DDGS to the point the animals will tolerate should be the priority in most minds. DDGS almost always saves money, the limit to its use is the amounts birds or pigs will tolerate in their diets. Increasing Hi-Pro DDGS to 75 kg dietary inclusion has little difference in bird or pig performance. This will save 33 kg of soybean meal for a net savings of about $15/T of feed. Thereafter performance is reduced incrementally, though often the nutrient profile of the diet can be adjusted to retain performance until 150 kg of Hi-Pro DDGS included in poultry diets and 300 kg for pig diets. Including Hi-Pro DDGS at 150 kg saves 55 kg soybean meal and $28 per T of feed. At higher inclusions of DDGS, ingredients such as iso-leucine and valine are available at the right price to balance the diet correctly, when combined with the addition of a soluble carbohydrase enzyme this will further increased the bird’s/ pig’s ability to tolerate these high levels of DDGS in the formulations. While maximizing DDGS usually saves money by reducing the amount of soybean meal required in the diets, this will replace some of the corn in the diets, reducing the usage of corn. Depending on the farm’s corn inventory situation this may be desirable or not. The other strategy is to reduce the use of expensive soybean meal by maximizing the use of synthetic amino acids. Looking on a combination of amino acids for poultry which includes methionine, lysine and threonine we can reduce the soybean meal by 45 kg, with a net savings of $14 /T of feed. If we combine this with DDGS then we can reduce soybean meal by 100 kg with very little difference of farm purchased ingredients. The other strategy, which is a bit counterintuitive to most at this time, is to make the best feed possible for the best feed efficiency. Typically, with most formulations maximum output of eggs and body weight is the objective. To obtain the best efficiency requires including more nutrients in the feed and increasing resulting feed costs. With today’s high feed costs, investing in protein provides the best returns on investment (ROI). Attempting to improve feed efficiency by including fat/oil in the diet may not provide a return on the dollars invested, due to the high cost of the fat/oil choices. If we are considering returns or savings from livestock operations, then manure is an important contributor to the farm. This year, manure from the pig barns may become the most valuable commodity on the farm, providing nitrogen and phosphorus for starting crops and optimizing output. Given time with more forewarning the manure could be optimized to provide more Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium by selecting the ingredients used in the feeds. In this last year, we have seen some producers who elect to reduce the use of phytase in their feeds instead supplementing with more Mono-di-calcium phosphate to their formulations, preparing their manure for replacing high priced crop inputs. The rising costs of grains and feed commodities, has livestock farmers looking for means to minimize their cost of production. Sourcing protein supply is the critical priority for farms making their own feed. We will have to make decisions based on supply, using what is available. DDGS is a viable alternative to Soybean meal. The amounts we can include in the diet are dependant on the pig’s ability to tolerate it. The combination of DDGS and amino acids offers the best opportunity to save feed dollars, in addition formulating to the optimum nutrition provides the best returns per kg of body weight.
AGRONOMY UPDATE: SPRING 2022 ONTARIO by: LAUREN BENOIT Bayer Canada, Crop Science Division
P
lanting in Ontario got off to a little bit of a late start this year due to the cold weather and only a few acres going in before May 1st. We certainly made up for it when the warm weather hit, and the majority of Ontario’s corn crop was planted between May 6th and May 20th. Early season heat helped the corn get out of the ground and we saw very few instances of imbibitional chilling injury or poor emergence due to wet conditions. A cold spell at the start of June slowed down corn growth for about a week. Current stands look very healthy as the crop moves into V6-V8 and we get out of the in-crop herbicide application window. Over the next few weeks, it will be important to start scouting for the first signs of tar spot development and Western Bean Cutworm. Soybean planting conditions were less consistent across the province. Beans planted in the second or third week of May would have struggled between being planted into dry conditions and subsequently hammered with heavy rainfall. Cool temperatures overnight and crusted soil can contribute to poor or delayed emergence in areas that received heavy rainfall. Although many fields struggled with achieving a perfect stand, soybeans have an impressive ability to make up for missing plants and stands of greater than 90k (110k on clay soils) on 7.5” rows will have 90% yield potential. As we move farther into the growing season the pay-off to replant becomes slimmer. Soybean maturity is driven by day length and we will begin to see soybeans start to flower as we pass the summer solstice and days start to get shorter. Soybean fungicide application timing will start at R1 (first flower). Overall reports of insect pests have been low in both corn and soybean. There have been no reports of frost in the southwestern area of the province. In general cereal crops in the province came out of winter quite well despite the wet fall. Just under 600k acres were reported, down significantly from the 1.0M harvested in 2021. Growers were battling tight planting windows for corn and soybean, wet soil conditions and windy days to find opportunities for herbicide and fungicide applications, most of the T3 fungicides went on in early June. Conditions during flowering have been variable, areas that received the most moisture and humidity will be the highest risk for FHB and subsequent development of DON. The crop is progressing normally, and harvest is on track to start in early July for most of the province.
CANADA’S OUTDOOR FARM SHOW – BACK FOR 2022!
by: DAVID ROSS VP & CMO GVF group of companies
A
fter not being able to gather in Woodstock, Ontario for two years, (last year was a much smaller show called Dairy Days and wasn’t well attended) we are excited to be making plans to return and attend Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, which is scheduled to take place September 13, 14 and 15th. Due to the Pandemic, and the timing of ever-changing restrictions, very few ag trade shows have been able to run in Ontario over the past two years, setting this farm show up to be an event that should be very well attended. With the pent-up desire of producers wanting to see
grandvalley.com
cost of fuel surcharges more than quadruple from where they were at only a year ago. The price of diesel remains at an all-time high and with rumours of a shortage of diesel around the world and strongly inflationary numbers, it is unlikely the price will be dropping anytime soon.
Phosphates
industry partners, suppliers and fellow farmers, who they haven’t been able to visit with in person for a very long time, we fully anticipate a record crowd for COFS 2022. The COFS organizing team is promising to put on a full-scale outdoor farm show in their traditional fashion of excellence, that so many of us have come to enjoy. The 2022 show will include the typical interactive content from the field that provides guests with the unique opportunity to see equipment in action, interact with technology and service experts and in some cases test drive the newest equipment on-site. At Grand Valley Fortifiers our Marketing Team is already working on exhibit plans, in-order to provide guests who visit with us and our Farmers Depot team, an enjoyable experience with information on our newest nutritional and animal care products. We look forward to visiting with many of you in person and catching up over coffee, after many years of limited interaction. If you haven’t yet marked your calendar, be sure to set some time aside on September 13, 14 or 15th to come, walk the show and visit us at our booth, located directly across from the COFS site office.
MARKET FLUCTUATIONS CONTINUE
by: MATTHEW SCHOENMAKER Purchaser in Production, Grand Valley Fortifiers
O
ver the past month we have seen significant changes in the market landscape; some positive, others negative. On a positive note, with major Chinese ports once again fully reopening, product has begun to flow more steadily back and forth across the ocean. With that being said, lead times on product still run at roughly 6 months as we look to catch up with demand. While shipping across the ocean begins to stabilize, high diesel prices and expensive trucking and rail, along with a weak Canadian dollar have become key issues that are affecting the purchase of all ingredients.
Exchange Rate
Canada is historically known as a country that trades strongly in natural resources. This means that normally, when the value of natural resources are high, the Canadian dollar would strengthen; when natural resources drop in value, the Canadian dollar would weaken. In 2014, when oil was previously over $100/barrel, the Canadian dollar was within single digits when compared to the US dollar. Today, with oil close $100/barrel, the Canadian dollar sits at $0.77 per USD. This weakening Canadian dollar has been caused by several factors which include a very high debt-to-GDP ratio and strong inflationary numbers. While this is beneficial when exporting product, importing most products has become very costly.
Transportation
Transportation of goods within North America continues to be an ongoing issue as trucking remains expensive, and fuel surcharges remain extremely high. Recently we have seen the
While corn and soy markets are not reacting as strongly to the Russia-Ukraine war, phosphate prices continue to be impacted by the situation and price increases on phosphates continue to negatively impact premix prices. A 35% tariff is still being applied to phosphates entering the country from Russia, one of the world’s largest phosphate producers. Increases in phosphate prices can also be attributed to a poor FX rate and increased transportation costs.
Amino Acids
After eight months of amino acids increasing in price, we have begun to see relief on lysine, methionine, and threonine. Lysine has been affected by several factors. While strong corn prices would usually promote a strong lysine price, opportune trading conditions with China, and lower than average pig production in China, due to ASF, has led to weaker global lysine demand. Methionine and threonine have also followed suit and have fallen off the high prices experienced this past year.
Conclusion
As farming becomes more and more globalized, we begin to rely more significantly on information and product from around the globe. Exchange rates, phosphate tariffs, energy reductions in Europe and ASF in Chinese hog herds all continue to affect both the feed and premix inputs, and hog pricing. While prices fluctuate on several ingredients within premixes, we continue to work closely with our nutrition teams to find quality products that increase nutritional value while also being economically beneficial.
Thought for the Day The Agony of Prayer Luke 22:44 “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” “Prayer is not difficult to understand. It is difficult to do. When was the last time your heart so grieved for those you were interceding for that your entire body agonized along with your mind and heart? (Heb. 5:7). We are a generation that avoids pain at all costs. This is why there are so few intercessors. How do we become more mature in our prayer life? By praying. When we do not feel like praying is precisely the time we ought to pray. There are no short cuts to prayer. There are no books to read, seminars to attend, or inspirational mottoes to memorize that will transform us into intercessors. This comes only by committing ourselves to pray and then doing so.” — Experiencing God Day by Day devotional Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby.