You understand the importance of managing feed costs in today's dynamic markets. To minimize costs without sacrificing nutritional value, review feed manufacturing procedures, monitor the feed particle size, check for availability of alternative ingredients, and revisit and update your current feed budgets. Your Vita Plus Swine Consultant can help you work through this process, offer the latest in industry research and help you make the best decision for your operation.

For more information about managing your feed costs, check out these resources:

When pigs are not performing to what is considered normal, it is important to first identify the possible causes to why they are not performing well before a course of action can be implemented. For example, pigs that are not eating may be an indication of any of several factors such as mycotoxin contamination, heat stress, disease, or simply a poorly formulated diet. Vita Plus consultants can assist you with identifying potential causes and help with determining the best course of action (i.e. contact your veterinarian, submit feed samples, etc.)

For more information about mycotoxin problems, check out these resources:

Feed budgets help producers maximize pig performance and control feed costs. They can also be used to help monitor pig growth. Typically, feed budgets randomly assign lysine levels to five different diet phases. However, the actual lysine requirement of your pigs is unknown; therefore you may be losing dollars by overfeeding or your pigs may not be performing to their potential. Vita Plus has created the mentor program to solve this problem. Take a test drive of mentor to understand how it can help you create accurate and easy-to-manage feed budgets.

For more information about managing your feed costs, check out these resources: