Traditionally, swine diets have been formulated to meet nutrient requirements at the lowest cost with little regard toward minimizing environmental impacts. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the relative differences among four grower-finisher feeding programs, using precision diet formulation practices, on growth performance, carcass composition, nitrogen utilization efficiency, and environmental impacts. In experiment 1, four 4-phase growing-finishing feeding programs consisting of diets containing corn and soybean meal (CSBM), low protein CSBM supplemented with crystalline amino acids (LP), CSBM with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and DDGS supplemented with crystalline Ile, Val, and Trp (DDGS + IVT) were fed to 288 mixed sex pigs (initial body weight [BW] = 36.9 ± 4.2 kg) for 12 wk to determine effects on growth performance and carcass characteristics. Pigs fed with CSBM had greater (P < 0.05) final BW than those fed with LP and DDGS, and greater gain efficiency than pigs fed with LP. Pigs fed with DDGS + IVT tended to have greater (P = 0.06) backfat depth than pigs fed with DDGS, and less (P < 0.05) loin muscle area than pigs fed with CSBM. In experiment 2, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) balance of barrows (n = 32; initial BW = 59.9 ± 5.1 kg) fed with each of the phase-2 diets from experiment 1 was determined in a 12-d metabolism study (7 d adaptation and 5 d collection). Pigs fed with CSBM had a greater (P < 0.05) amount of N retained than pigs fed with other diets, but also had a greater (P < 0.05) amount of urinary N excretion and blood urea N than pigs fed with LP and DDGS + IVT diets. Pigs fed with LP tended (P = 0.07) to have the greatest N utilization efficiency but the least (P < 0.05) P retained as a percentage of P intake among dietary treatments. Diet composition and data collected from experiments 1 and 2 were used to calculate life cycle assessment environmental impacts using Opteinics software (BASF, Lampertheim, Germany). The CSBM feeding program had the least impact on climate change, marine and freshwater eutrophication, and fossil resource use. The LP feeding program had the least impact on acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, and water use, while the DDGS feeding programs had the least impact on land use. These results indicate that feeding CSBM diets optimized growth performance and carcass composition while simultaneously reducing impacts on climate change, marine and freshwater eutrophication, and fossil resource use compared with the other feeding programs evaluated. Developing and evaluating feeding programs that optimize growth performance and carcass composition, while minimizing cost, nutrient excretion in manure, and environmental impact is essential for achieving sustainable pork production systems. Four growing-finishing feeding programs consisting of typical corn-soybean meal (CSBM) diets, low protein CSBM diets containing supplemental crystalline amino acids (LP), CSBM diets containing 30% corn dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), and DDGS diets containing supplemental crystalline Ile, Val, and Trp were evaluated to compare their effects on growth performance, carcass composition, nitrogen and phosphorus utilization efficiency, and several environmental impact measures. Pigs fed CSBM diets had greater final body weight than those fed the LP and DDGS diets, and greater gain efficiency than pigs fed the LP diets, but there were no differences in the percentage of carcass lean among feeding programs. However, pigs fed the LP diets had the greatest nitrogen utilization efficiency and the least impact on acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, and water use among these feeding programs. The CSBM feeding program had the least impact on climate change, marine and freshwater eutrophication, and fossil resource use, while the DDGS feeding programs had the least impact on land use.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) supplementation on growth performance, blood 25-OHD3 level, and antioxidant parameters in nursery pigs.Methods: A total of 48 newly weaned piglets (5.27±1.42 kg initial body weight) were allotted to 3 treatments in 4 replicates with 4 pigs per pen for a 28-d feeding trial in two phases for d 0–14 (Phase 1) and d 14–28 (Phase 2) postweaning with basal diets without supplemental vitamin D3 (VD3). Treatments were: 1) basal diet+2,000 IU/kg VD3 supplementation, 2) basal diet+1,000 IU/kg 25-OHD3 supplementation, and 3) basal diet+2,000 IU/kg 25-OHD3 supplementation. Growth performance, plasma 25-OHD3 and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, total antioxidant capacity, and superoxide dismutase activity were measured.Results: There was no significant difference in growth performance among dietary treatments until d 21 postweaning. Dietary 25-OHD3 supplementation increased feed intake (p<0.07) and growth rate (p<0.05) greater than the VD3 treatment in d 21–28 and d 14–28 postweaning, resulting in a greater growth rate in the overall period (p = 0.10). Increasing levels of 25-OHD3 supplementation resulted in greater plasma 25-OHD3 concentrations at d 14 and 28 postweaning (p<0.05), while decreasing plasma MDA levels at d 28 postweaning (p<0.05) with no differences in plasma superoxide dismutase activity and total antioxidant capacity. In the broken-line analysis, the estimated plasma 25-OHD3 concentration for plasma MDA concentration to reach the minimum level was 23.7 ng/mL (p<0.05).Conclusion: Supplementing 25-OHD3 in nursery diets increased blood vitamin D status and had potential to enhance feed intake and growth rate in the late nursery period, while reducing oxidative stress compared with VD3 supplementation.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of dietary vitamin D3 (VD3) supplementation on growth performance, blood vitamin D, and antioxidant status in weaning pigs.Methods: Forty newly weaned piglets (6.02±1.17 kg) were assigned to two treatments with five replicates over a 28-d period. Treatments were 1) NRC-VD3: NRC recommended levels (220 IU/kg in Phase 1 [d 0–14 postweaning] and 200 IU/kg in Phase 2 [d 14–28 postweaning]), and 2) High-VD3: a high level of VD3 (2,000 IU/kg in Phase 1 and 2). Body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain-to-feed ratio were measured weekly. Blood samples were collected at d 14 and 28 postweaning for the analyses of plasma 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Pearson correlation coefficients between plasma 25-OHD3 and SOD, MDA, or T-AOC were determined.Results: Growth performance did not differ in overall nursery period although feed intake was lower in the High-VD3 group than the NRC-VD3 group in d 14–28 postweaning (p<0.05). Pigs fed High-VD3 diets showed greater plasma 25-OHD3OHD3 at d 14 and 28 postweaning (p<0.05), tended to have reduced plasma MDA (p = 0.06), and increased plasma SOD activity (p = 0.10) at d 14 postweaning compared with those fed NRC-VD3 diets with no effect in plasma T-AOC. At d 14 postweaning, plasma 25-OHD3 was positively correlated with plasma SOD activity (r = 0.532; p<0.05) and tended to be negatively correlated with plasma MDA levels (r = –0.491; p = 0.06).Conclusion: High VD3 supplementation at 2,000 IU/kg did not enhance growth performance, while improving plasma vitamin D and antioxidant status in weaning pigs compared to NRC-level supplementation. Therefore, supplementing weaning pigs with higher-than-recommended levels of VD₃ could be beneficial to enhance their antioxidant status and overall health.

The objective of this study was to quantify and compare the environmental impact, using life-cycle assessment (LCA) analysis, of 4 different, 4-phase growing-finishing feeding programs consisting of diets containing corn and soybean meal (CSBM), low protein CSBM supplemented with crystalline amino acids (LP), CSBM with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and DDGS supplemented with crystalline Ile, Val, and Trp (DDGS+IVT). The LCA analysis was performed using an online software application (Opteinics, BASF, Lampertheim, Germany) with calculations based on environmental impact factors from the Global Feed LCA Institute feed ingredient database. The specific model included impacts of feed production, animal farming, manure management, and meat processing. Environmental impacts were calculated at the farm gate and the functional unit was 1,000 kg of carcass weight. Diet composition, growth performance, and carcass data obtained from a feeding trial were used as inputs in the LCA calculations. Using CSBM as the reference feeding program (Table 1), the LP feeding program resulted in an overall decrease in impacts associated with acidification (10.9%), water use (7.6%), and land use (9.8%), but increased impacts associated with climate change (3.3%) and fossil resource use (3.7%). Both DDGS and DDGS+IVT feeding programs increased impact on climate change (18.4-18.7%), fossil resource use (42.7-47.3%), and water use (47.2-50.0%), but decreased impacts associated with acidification (3.0-3.4%) and land use (27.2-27.3%) compared with the CSBM feeding program. Overall, the LP feeding program resulted in the lowest total environmental footprint (1.0776 person years), followed by the CSBM (1.1081 person years), DDGS+IVT (1.1845 person years), and DDGS (1.1884 person years) feeding programs. These results indicate that feeding CSBM diets without and with crystalline amino acids have less impact on climate change, water use, fossil resource use, and total environmental footprint than DDGS feeding programs per 1,000 kg of pork carcass weight.

This study evaluated the effects of dietary 25-hydroxycholecalciferol alone or in combination with vitamin D₃ (VD₃) on growth performance, vitamin D status, immune parameters, bone integrity, and antioxidant capacity in nursery pigs. Sixty weanling piglets (5.63 ± 0.98 kg initial body weight) were assigned to three treatments for a 28 d feeding trial. The treatments were a basal diet supplemented with 2000 IU/kg VD₃, a combination of 1000 IU/kg VD₃ and 1000 IU/kg 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD₃), and 2000 IU/kg 25-OHD₃. Pigs fed diets containing 25-OHD₃ tended to have greater feed intake during d 14–28 (p = 0.06). Plasma 25-OHD₃ concentrations were greater in pigs fed diets containing 25-OHD₃ than in those fed VD₃ alone on d 14 and 28 (p < 0.05), with greater values observed in pigs fed 2000 IU/kg 25-OHD₃ than in those fed a combination of 1000 IU/kg VD₃ and 1000 IU/kg 25-OHD₃ on d 14 (p < 0.05). Pigs fed diets supplemented with 25-OHD₃ had lower plasma malondialdehyde concentrations at d 28 (p < 0.05), while immune parameters and bone mineralization indicators were unaffected. In the broken-line analysis, the estimated plasma 25-OHD₃ concentration for plasma malondialdehyde concentrations to reach the minimum level was 32.5 ng/mL (p < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing 25-OHD₃ in nursery diets improved blood vitamin D status and could help reduce oxidative stress during the late nursery period.

Traditional evaluation of swine feeding programs have generally focused only on economically important performance and carcass measures but achieving sustainable pork production also requires formulating diets to reduce negative environmental impacts. Therefore, a systems approach is needed to evaluate swine feeding programs from multiple perspectives. The objectives of this study were to compare productivity, nutritional efficiency, and environmental outcomes of four different growing-finishing feeding programs consisting of diets containing corn and soybean meal (CSBM), low protein CSBM supplemented with crystalline amino acids (LP), CSBM with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and DDGS supplemented with crystalline Ile, Val, and Trp (DDGS+IVT). In experiment 1, growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs (n=288; initial BW=36.9±4.2 kg) were measured in a 12-wk feeding trial. There were no differences in ADG, ADFI, carcass yield, and carcass fat-free lean percentage observed among feeding programs but gain:feed was greater (P <0.05) in pigs fed CSBM and DDGS+IVT than pigs fed LP. In experiment 2, nitrogen and phosphorus balance of pigs (n=32; initial BW=59.9±5.1 kg) were determined in a metabolism study. Pigs fed CSBM had greater N retained (P <0.05) than those fed other diets, but pigs fed LP had greater (P <0.05) protein efficiency ratio but lower (P <0.05) P intake than pigs fed CSBM and DDGS. In experiment 3, data collected from the previous 2 experiments were used to calculate environmental impacts of the four feeding programs through life-cycle assessments using Opteinics™ (BASF, Lampertheim, Germany). Feeding CSBM had the least impact per 1,000 kg carcass weight on climate change and fossil resource use, while LP had the least impact on acidification, water use, and total environmental footprint. These results indicate that each feeding program has comparative advantages depending on the metrics, which requires using a holistic systems approach for decision-making to improve the sustainability of pork production.