In swine diets, lower prices make wheat better than corn: Kansas State

Lower wheat prices make it a viable alternative to corn in swine diets at the moment, according to nutritionists at Kansas State University.

While it’s not often a part of swine diets in the United States, wheat is more common in diets in Canada, Europe and Australia, said Mike Tokach, a Kansas State swine nutritionist. Lower prices for wheat and higher demand for corn for export and ethanol markets make wheat a more economical choice in U.S. pigs, he said.

“As long as diets are balanced, wheat can replace all or part of the corn in swine diets without affecting growth performance,” Tokach said.

He added that the concentration of starch and fiber in wheat is similar to corn, although lower oil content in wheat means it’s also lower in energy. Because of that, Tokach said, “feed efficiency will be a little worse with wheat unless fat is added to balance the diets for energy. But even with the change in feed efficiency, wheat is economical at the current time.”

More information is available from Kansas State.