Archive for the ‘Poultry and Egg Production’ Category

Planned Soybean Technologies to Reduce Livestock Impact

Friday, June 4th, 2010

A number of companies have new soybean varieties in their R&D pipelines that will decrease the environmental impact of manure from animals such as swine and poultry.  Those monogastric animals lack phytase, an enzyme needed for digestion of phytate, which means most of the phytate is excreted and can sometimes create a negative environmental impact.

 A number of biotechnology companies are developing soybean varieties with reduced phytate content.  When low-phytate soybean meal is mixed with low-phytate corn to make animal feed rations, phosphate emissions in swine and poultry manure are reduced by approximately half.  The iron, calcium and protein in the ration are also absorbed more completely by the animal, which thereby reduces both anemia and nitrogen excretion.

 Sources:

 ENHANCED ANIMAL FEED GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BioScience News & Advocate, February 27, 2004

 LOW-PHYTATE GRAINS CUT PHOSPHOROUS EXCRETION, National Hog Farmer, December 15, 2000, p 14, and ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PHOSPHOROUS FEEDING, National Hog Farmer, March 15, 2003, p 14-15 and  Biotechnology, November, 1993, p 111,  and Pig International, October, 1997, p 11,  and Progressive Farmer, February, 1999

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Posted in Agriculture, Biotech, Health, Pork Production, Poultry and Egg Production, Soy Foods, Sustainability | 2 Comments »

More Chicken and Eggs; Less Environmental Impact

Friday, May 28th, 2010

When you have a chicken sandwich or some cheesy scrambled eggs, you may be helping reduce environmental impact if your bird was soy-fed. 

That’s especially true outside the U.S., where soy industry programs are helping farmers produce more birds and eggs, with less impact on the environment.  Thanks to outreach programs that promote using soy meal rather than less-nutritious feeds1, broiler (meat) chickens now tip the scales at 5.5 pounds to 6.5 pounds at 49 days old, up from 3.0 pounds to 3.5 pounds before adoption of soy-based feeds.  Egg production has increased from 160 – 170 eggs per year to 230 – 240 eggs per year through adoption of feeds containing high-quality soybean meal made from U.S. soybeans2.  Producing more agricultural product per animal at a faster rate generates less waste per unit of output along the way.  Poultry producers, consumers and the environment can all win with soy.

  1.  Feedstuffs magazine, July 1, 1996, page 10.
  2. Nill, Kimball. Sustainability Report for the U.S. Soybean Industry: The Past Decade’s Progress, Plus Even More Improvements on the Way.

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