Feeding animals all over the world with U.S. soy takes a village, and then some, to accomplish.
U.S. soy’s exceptional composition goes well beyond just crude protein to include amino acids, energy, vitamins and minerals. There are plenty of feed options out there for those who work in the animal ag sector to choose from, but few options can match the complete package of U.S. soy.
Here’s what some end users are saying:
Soybean meal is an ideal protein complement to corn. Corn provides energy but is a relatively poor source of crude protein in general and the amino acid lysine in particular. Soybean meal, on the other hand, is relatively low in energy but high in crude protein, especially lysine. Combining corn and soybean meal provides a nutritionally balanced diet for pigs. –Chris Hostetler, director of animal science for the National Pork Board
Soybean meal is a highly concentrated, very digestible amino acid source for monogastric animals. It contains 46 to 48 percent protein and a very nice balance of amino acids as related to the requirements of non-ruminant animals. –Ken Bryant, swine nutritionist with Cargill Animal Nutrition
With the move to antibiotic-free programs for broilers and turkeys, the levels of soybean meal in poultry rations have increased considerably because animal proteins have largely been removed. The protein and amino acids in soybean meal are highly digestible, as much as 88 to 90 percent for the essential amino acids lysine and methionine. –Michael Lilburn, professor of animal science at The Ohio State University.
Another positive attribute of soybean meal for poultry is the excellent digestibility of the amino acids compared with other protein sources. The key to the amino acid digestibility for soybean meal is getting the proper amount of heat treatment. Soybeans contain anti-nutritive proteins, called trypsin inhibitors, that impair the digestion of protein. Heat treating soybean meal after oil extraction deactivates these proteins. Most U.S. soybean processors using solvent extraction have fine-tuned the time and temperature combination to minimize problems with trypsin inhibitors while maintaining optimum amino acid digestibility. –Randy Mitchell, vice-president of technical services at Perdue Farms
As end users realize the benefits the elite nutritional U.S. soybean package provides and continue to become more conscious of value and quality, demand for U.S. soy grows. This creates greater opportunities for everyone in the soy value chain, from farmers and elevators to crushers and end users.
