Low Soybean Meal Ration Recommendations For NexGen^® Starter Program

Soybean meal is a valuable protein source in pig diets. It has an ideal blend of amino acids, which comes very close to meeting the nutritional requirements of growing pigs. Unfortunately, there can be physiological challenges when using high levels of soybean meal in pig diets, particularly with young pigs. While the manufacturing process to make soybean meal (specifically the heat) eliminates the main anti-nutritional factor of soybeans, trypsin inhibitor, several others survive processing intact. Young pigs tend to be hypersensitive to these anti-nutritional factors. When those compounds hit the hind-gut, the body has an immediate, and forceful, reaction; leading to loose stools and decreased pig performance.