It’s What’s Inside That Counts

USB Staff Writer

USB Staff Writer

United Soybean Board

Poultry, livestock benefit from U.S. soybean meal’s nutritional bundle.

We are all familiar with the saying “good things come in small packages” and that saying is certainly true when it comes to soybeans. But what many people don’t know is while they are small in stature, this bean’s nutritional bundle certainly packs a punch.

U.S. soybean meal’s nutritional bundle goes well beyond just crude protein to include amino acids, energy, vitamins and minerals. These constituents not only make up the U.S. Soy Advantage, but are also crucial to the diets for poultry and livestock.

“Soybean meal is a great source of amino acids, and amino acids are essential for pigs,” says Tom Crenshaw, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Wisconsin. “They are the building blocks for proteins. When we think about muscle or lean tissue, the amino acids in soybean meal would be the building blocks for those.”

Soybean farmers continue to provide customers with high-quality soybean meal that contains a solid nutritional bundle that’s desired in poultry and livestock feed.

“The U.S. has been providing high-quality soybean meal that contains the limiting amino acids needed in poultry and swine feeds,” explains Nick Bajjalieh, Ph.D., a feed researcher involved in checkoff-funded research. “Soybean meal is used to complement the nutrient characteristics of other feed ingredients to achieve the targeted nutrient levels in the final feed produced.”

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. soybean meal.

“There is stiff competition from other feed sources,” says Bajjalieh, “but other sources do not support optimum health and growth. Therefore, there is a need for other supplemental sources of amino acids, which U.S. soybean meal can provide.”