Strategic Use of Soybean Meal to Maximize Hog Carcass Weight During Summer

During summer months, pig producers often face a decline in carcass weight due to the adverse impact of heat stress on pigs and the replacement of soybean meal with intake-reducing ingredients. This situation presents a significant financial hurdle for producers, especially as it usually coincides with peak hog prices, thereby missing potential revenue opportunities. The prohibitive cost of fats makes the frequently used high-energy density diets economically unfeasible. Leveraging on extensive research that highlights the critical role of soybean meal in enhancing the growth performance of pigs, we propose a summer nutrition program that uses high levels of soybean meal and excludes feed intake-reducing ingredients.

This program has been brought to you by U.S. Soy. Fully funded by the National Soybean Checkoff.