High-quality soybean meal is important to growing animal ag business
The population of hogs and chickens in the U.S. is getting larger, and so is their need for high-quality feed. According to soy checkoff-funded research, hog and broiler production in the U.S. has grown over the years. The number of hogs produced in the U.S. has increased nearly 25 percent since 2003, while broiler production has increased by more than 15 percent. More hogs and chickens mean more opportunities for soybean farmers, but only if soybean farmers produce high-quality feed that is desired by animal ag.
Poultry and livestock farmers depend on high levels of protein, amino acids and digestible energy to maximize their animals’ potential. One way U.S. soybean farmers can help meet these customers’ needs is by thinking beyond the bushel and planting varieties that both produce high-quality soybeans and deliver high yield.
“It’s certainly understandable that many U.S. soybean farmers focus on yield when selecting seed,” says Dan Corcoran, checkoff farmer-leader from Piketon, Ohio, and team lead of the United Soybean Board’s Value Task Force. “However, we’re really producing protein and oil. The quality of the protein is what’s most important to our top end-user – animal ag.”
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