As animal producers face rising feed prices as a result of weather volatility, escalating oil costs and other market factors, it will become increasingly important to improve the efficiency by which animals convert feed into protein and to shorten the cycle time of production.

Achieving optimum performance and cost benefits from increasingly complex mixes of raw materials is an issue facing all animal producers and we have a rich heritage of providing innovative new solutions to help them achieve these goals. For example, our innovative, patented bacterial phytase, Axtra® PHY, minimizes the anti-nutrient and energy draining effects of phytate throughout the digestive system.

Porzyme®, a xylanase-based enzyme solution, reduces fibre-related anti-nutrient effects and improves performance and feed cost effectiveness by allowing addition of cheap fibrous energy sources - such as DDGS and wheat middlings - to corn diets. Extensive trials have shown faster and more efficient gain in pigs at all stages of growth, with economic benefits of up to $2.72 per pig in the late finishing phases.

We will also showcase solutions that help producers to be more environmentally sustainable and spend less money on complying with increasingly strict legislation. To use a local example, the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan for stepped-up regulation around manure management will put producers in Iowa and their 20 million hogs at the centre of a national debate on the sheer cost of compliance.

Maximizing production needn’t mean that more resources will have to be spent on managing pollution if additives are used that improve digestibility and reduce the resulting harmful effects of animal waste. Axtra® PHY and Phyzyme® XP, the first E.coli phytase on the market, are hugely effective in slashing manure application costs by reducing phosphorus in the manure. We are also advancing phytase thermostability with our TPT technology to ensure ease of use.

Producers can also achieve performance benefits even before piglets are born and continue to save them money as they grow using our Betafin® natural betaine solution, which will also be featured at the show. An osmolyte and methyl donor produced in a highly-purified form from sugar beet, Betafin® natural betaine is particularly effective during the dry summer months when heat stress is an issue and fertility can also be depressed.

As a methyl donor, Betafin® natural betaine improves biological functions such as reproduction, increasing litter size and piglet vitality. In addition, it offers wide-ranging osmolytic benefits during weaning when dehydration is a major challenge and thus helps alleviate the impact of weaning stress on piglet performance. For grower finisher pigs, Betafin® natural betaine has been shown to improve daily lean gain via its energy boosting role.

Gwendolyn Jones, technical services manager at Danisco Animal Nutrition commented: “Making a profit on pigs is a challenge in an increasingly volatile and regulated environment. Our goal is to develop innovative combined and single additive solutions that help pig farmers stay on course for profitable pig production in a sustainable way."

For more information on how Danisco Animal Nutrition can improve producer profitability through enhanced animal performance, visit us at World Pork Expo, Booth #732 VIB or email us at [email protected].