From November 2021 to February 2022, 37 swine nutritionists representing 29 production systems and 8 nutrition supplier companies in the United States were surveyed about added vitamin and trace mineral concentrations in swine diets. Respondents were asked to provide vitamin premix and trace mineral concentrations, inclusion rates, and weight ranges associated with feeding phases. Survey participants represented 4.38 million sows, or 72% of the U.S. industry. Data were compiled into 3 nursery phases (Phase 1, weaning to 7 kg; Phase 2, 7 to 11 kg; and Phase 3, 11 to 23 kg), 3 finishing phases (23 to 55 kg; 55 to 100 kg; 100 kg to market), gilt development, gestation, lactation, and boar. Within each dietary phase, the vitamins and trace minerals of interest included: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12, choline, vitamin C, carnitine, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc, cobalt, and chromium. Descriptive statistics used included: average, weighted average (determined by the total number of sows represented), median, minimum, maximum, 25th percentile (lowest quartile), and 75th percentile (highest quartile). In addition, all average supplementation rates for vitamins and trace minerals within each phase of production were compared to the requirement estimates reported in the NRC (2012). Nutritionists generally supplemented vitamins and trace minerals well above the NRC (2012) requirement estimates. However, great variation among respondents was observed in all vitamins and trace minerals, particularly in the fat-soluble vitamins. Also, the use of alternative sources of vitamin D [25(OH)D₃], E (natural, d-alpha-tocopherol), and organic or chelated minerals like copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc were being used by approximately 40% of the respondents, primarily in breeding herd and nursery diets. Understanding current supplementation practices may help develop research trials to test different vitamin and trace mineral inclusions and provide an industry benchmark of vitamin and trace mineral usage.

Immune system activation begins a host of physiological responses. Infectious agents are recognized by monocytes and macrophages which in turn stimulate cytokine production. It is the hormone-like factors called cytokines that orchestrate the immune response. The classic responses observed with immune system activation and cytokine production include: anorexia, fever, lethargy, recruitment of other immune cells, and phagocytosis. While production of immune system components is known to require some amino acids, increases in amino acid requirements are more than offset by the associated decrease in protein accretion and increased muscle protein degradation that also accompanies immune system activation. However, the biggest impact of cytokine production is a decrease in feed intake. Therefore, as feed intake decreases, the energy needed to drive protein synthesis is also decreased. This suggests that diets should still be formulated on a similar calorie:lysine ratio as those formulated for non-immune challenged pigs. The evidence is sparse or equivocal for increasing nutrient requirements during an immune challenge. Nutritionists and swine producers should resist the pressure to alter the diet, limit feed, or add expensive feed additives during an immune challenge. While immune stimulation does not necessitate changes in diet formulation, when pigs are challenged with non-pathogenic diarrhea there are potential advantages on gut health with the increased use of crystalline amino acids rather than intact protein sources (i.e., soybean meal). This is because reducing crude protein decreases the quantity of fermentable protein entering the large intestine, which lowers post weaning diarrhea. It also lowers the requirement for expensive specialty protein sources or other protein sources such as soybean meal that present immunological challenges to the gut. The objective of this review is two-fold. The first is to discuss immunity by nutrition interactions, or lack thereof, and secondly, to review amino acid requirement estimates for nursery pigs.

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the growth performance and percentage bone ash of nursery pigs fed various combinations of Ca and P provided by inorganic sources or phytase. In Exp. 1, pens of pigs (n = 720, initially 6.1 ± 0.98 kg) were blocked by initial BW. Within blocks, pens were randomly assigned to one of six treatments (12 pens per treatment) in a three-phase diet regimen. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of Ca (0.58% vs. 1.03%) and standardized total tract digestible (STTD) P (0.33% and 0.45% without phytase, and 0.45% with 0.12% of the P released by phytase). During treatment period, Ca × P interactions were observed for all growth criteria (P < 0.05). When diets had low Ca, pigs fed 0.45% STTD P with phytase had greater (P < 0.01) ADG and ADFI than those fed 0.33% or 0.45% STTD P without phytase. When high Ca was fed, ADG and ADFI were similar among pigs fed 0.45% STTD P with or without phytase and were greater than those fed 0.33% STTD P. Gain:feed was reduced (P < 0.01) when high Ca and low STTD P were fed relative to other treatments. On d 21, radiuses were collected from 1 pig per pen for bone ash analysis. Pigs fed 0.33% STTD P had decreased (P < 0.05) percentage bone ash than those fed 0.45% STTD P with or without phytase when high Ca was fed, but this P effect was not observed for low Ca diets (Ca × P interaction, P = 0.007). In Exp. 2, 36 pens (10 pigs per pen, initially 6.0 ± 1.08 kg) were used in a completely randomized design. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with the main effects of STTD P (at or above NRC [NRC. 2012. Nutrient Requirements of Swine. 11^th rev. ed. Washington (DC): National Academic Press.] requirement estimates) and total Ca (0.65, 0.90, and 1.20%). Experimental diets were fed during phases 1 and 2, followed by a common phase 3 diet. Diets at NRC (2012) P level contained 0.45% and 0.40% STTD P, compared with 0.56% and 0.52% for diets greater than the NRC (2012) estimates, in phase 1 and 2, respectively. During treatment period, increasing Ca decreased (linear, P = 0.006) ADG, but increasing STTD P marginally increased (P = 0.084) ADG, with no Ca × P interaction. When diets contained NRC (2012) P levels, pigs fed 1.20% Ca had decreased (P < 0.05) G:F than those fed 0.65% or 0.90% Ca; however, when high STTD P were fed, G:F was not affected by Ca (Ca × P interaction, P = 0.018). In conclusion, excess Ca decreased pig growth and percentage bone ash when diets were at or below NRC (2012) requirement for STTD P, but these negative effects were alleviated by adding monocalcium P or phytase to the diet.

Transmission of biological hazards capable of causing disease in livestock can occur through a wide variety of direct and in-direct routes. In swine production, there are a large number of possible routes of exposure of a pathogen into a susceptible population. African swine fever virus (ASFV) has been a significant challenge for Southeast Asia since first detected in China in 2018 and has spread through many countries within the region. In order to understand potential transmission pathways within an ASFV endemic region, a diagnostic investigation was performed to determine the level of contamination on a wide variety of surface types within a live animal production, feed manufacturing, and feed distribution system located in Vietnam. All diagnostic testing was performed locally by the production system's internal diagnostic laboratory using real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) analysis. Early in the diagnostic investigation, it became clear that feed trucks were a common site of ASFV surface contamination detection. This information resulted in biosecurity-focused actions for feed trucks arriving back at the feed mill, including decontamination of interior truck cab surfaces and washing of exterior truck surfaces with high pressure water prior to application of surface disinfectants. Additionally, a low number of rt-PCR positive samples were detected within the feed production system, with the greatest number coming from transient surfaces such as high traffic areas and worker clothing. This illustrates the importance of managing employee traffic through procedures such as zoning and separation between clean-dirty areas to reduce the likelihood of pathogen transmission. In conclusion, this report illustrates the importance of routine data capture regarding efficacy of biosecurity procedures which allows for real-time updates and improvement as biosecurity gaps are identified. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Feed additives have shown benefits throughout the literature in improving grow–finish pigs’ growth performance and carcass characteristics. However, the results have not been well summarized. Therefore, this review summarizes the available research (402 articles) on 14 feed additive categories fed to grow–finish pigs. The categories were acidifiers, betaine, Cr, conjugated linoleic acids, Cu, direct-fed microbials, carbohydrases, proteases, phytases, multi-enzymes, essential oils, L-carnitine, yeasts, and Zn. Qualified articles were collected and selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria from online databases. The percentage difference for each response variable between the treatment and control group was calculated and summarized. Most results were positive for each feed additive; however, the magnitude of improvement varied, and most were not statistically significant. For ADG, DFM, Cu, L-carnitine, and multi-enzymes showed relatively large positive effects (>2.1% improvement) across a reasonable number of articles. Acidifiers, betaine, CLA, multi-enzymes, DFM, L-carnitine, and yeasts showed relatively large positive effects (>2.5% improvement) on improving G:F. Moreover, except for betaine, Cr, CLA, and L-carnitine, most feed additives showed little and non-significant effects on BF thickness (<1.7% improvement). This review provides a descriptive analysis for commonly used feed additives in the hope of better understanding feed additives’ effects on grow–finish pigs.

Due to its importance in animal feed, soybean meal has been extensively studied to optimize its use in livestock diets. Despite extensive research, the industry has not fully characterized specific areas of soybean processing such as the inclusion of soybean byproducts added back to soybean meal during processing. Soybean processing byproducts can encompass a large variety of materials including weeds and foreign material, soybean hulls, gums, soapstocks, lecithins, spent bleaching clays, and deodorizer distillates. Despite the potential for being added back to soybean meal when a crushing plant is integrated with an oil refinery, there is currently limited information on the composition of many of these soybean processing byproducts and their subsequent effects on soybean meal quality and animal performance. Therefore, there may be opportunities for a new area of research focused on soybean processing byproducts and their optimal use within the livestock feed industry. This review summarizes the current information on soybean byproducts with a focus on identifying the areas with the greatest potential for future research in swine and poultry nutrition.