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Preg-Checking in a Drought Year with High Cull Cow Prices

In the dynamic world of cattle production, producers constantly face challenges that test their resilience. One such challenge for many beef producers this year is drought and higher feed costs. When water becomes scarce, pastures are stressed and the costs of maintaining a herd can surge.  

In drought conditions, every mouth to feed counts. Producers may be forced to reduce their herd size to sustain the remaining animals. In such situations, making well-informed decisions is critical for the economic viability of an operation. By preg-checking and identifying open cows, producers can choose to cull those open cows early, reduce the herd’s overall feed requirements and minimize additional costs associated with keeping the open animals. 

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Reducing Nursery Feed Costs Without Losing Performance - Dr. Julian Arroyave

Video: Reducing Nursery Feed Costs Without Losing Performance - Dr. Julian Arroyave


In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Julian Arroyave, a research swine nutritionist at Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions, discusses nursery feed budget strategies designed to reduce costs without compromising pig performance. He explains trials comparing high, medium, and low phase 1 and phase 2 feed budgets, including commercial validation data showing improved income over feed cost when lower-budget programs were applied under healthy herd conditions. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/tas/article/...

"Results showed that the low-budget program increased income over feed cost by $1.48 per pig."

Meet the guest: Dr. Julian Arroyave / julian-arroyave-jaramillo-638740129 is a research swine nutritionist at Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions, with experience in nursery nutrition, diet formulation, and commercial research trials. He completed his PhD at Kansas State University and previously worked as a nutrition supervisor at Kekén in Mexico. His work focuses on nutritional strategies that improve production efficiency while controlling feed costs. Learn more from Dr. Julian Arroyave Jaramillo on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.