Feed accounts for 65 to 75 per cent of the cost of getting a pig to market today.

"Managing the Cost of Production through Nutrition" is among the topics being discussed as part of the Prairie Swine Centre's 2012 Spring Producer Meetings, which travels to Lethbridge and Red Deer, Alberta March 13 and 14.

Research Scientist Nutrition Dr. Denise Beaulieu reports we're seeing an increased use of by-product feeds such as dried distillers grains with solubles, a by-product of ethanol production and glycerol, a by-product of the biodiesel industry.

Dr Denise Beaulieu-Prairie Swine Centre:

A lot of the by-product feeds, the starch has been taken out so these feeds are higher in nitrogen or higher in protein and they're also higher in fibre, so producers have to be aware of that when they're putting these into their rations.

Distillers, the phosphorus availability is higher in those so producers have to be cognizant of that and they have to be formulating for sure on an available phosphorus not total phosphorus. They may want to be considering some of the higher fibre ingredients for use certainly in their older animals, perhaps in their sows and saving some of their other ingredients for their weanling pigs. One of the issues with distillers, there has been some concern with mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins of course are a concern if the parent grain contain mycotoxins however they will then be concentrated in the distillers so, if a producer suspects at all that there was mycotoxins in the area, then they should be routinely testing for mycotoxins.

Dr Beaulieu says, depending on availability, these by-product feeds can lower production costs by anywhere from four to five dollars pig if the producer has the ability to properly formulate and least cost them into the ration.