Feeding small cereal grains to pigs

Apr 01, 2024

In the absence of corn, cereal grains such as wheat and barley can be used very successfully in swine diets. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide guidance on feeding small cereal grains such as wheat, barley, oats, rye and triticale to pigs.

Many countries around the world, as well as other parts of Canada, routinely use wheat and/or barley as the main energy sources for swine rations. Other small grains such as oats, rye and triticale can also be incorporated, although typically at lower inclusion levels.

Just like corn, growing and harvesting conditions can impact the nutritional value of cereal grains. Small grains are similar to corn in terms of their nutritional value; however, there are also some important differences to note. Most importantly, small grains are typically higher in crude protein and lysine compared to corn. This means you may need less soybean meal in your diets to compensate. Small grains also have higher digestible phosphorus (providing economic and environmental benefits) but tend to be lower in energy.

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Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.