FEDNA’s Specialization Course welcomes more than 600 attendees

The early sessions of the FEDNA course captivated participants with presentations focused on swine nutrition.

To kick off the day, Jordan Gebhardt (University of Kansas) shared “Feeding Programs for Primiparous Sows,” a study conducted with Jamil E. G. Faccin, Mike D. Tokach, Robert D. Goodband, Joel M. DeRouchey, and Jason C. Woodworth.

Next, Gerardo Santoma (Trouw Nutrition) took the stage to present a comparative study with Pedro Pérez de Ayala, featuring data from a national survey of 48 Spanish nutritionists and the requirements outlined in pig fattening feeding programs.

The last morning session led to the third edition of the FEDNA Feeding Standards for swine, moderated by Mª Ángeles Latorre (University of Zaragoza).

The guidelines were categorized into four sections: sows, piglets, growing-fattening pigs, and the nutritional requirements of Iberian pigs.

At noon, candidates for the FEDNA award presented their research papers. Each had ten minutes for their presentation, and all three were evaluated by an expert panel. The session began with Andrea P. Mallea (University of Illinois), who shared “Inclusion of Corn Protein in Diets for Weaned Piglets.”

Secondly, Diego N. Bottegal (University of Lleida) presented “Effects of the Inclusion of Carob Pulp and Vitamin E in the Finishing Diet of Pigs on Productivity, Apparent Digestibility, Physiological Indicators, and Economic Results.” He concluded that “the incorporation of up to 20% of carob pulp in the finishing diet of high-performance pigs proves to be a feeding alternative that does not penalize productive performance but, in certain scenarios, diminishes economic benefit.”

Additionally, he noted,

Concluding the session, Jessica P. Acosta (University of Illinois) presented her research findings, as outlined in the title of her article, indicating that “Xylanase and Estimbiotic Enhance Growth and Nutrient Digestibility in Weaned Piglet Diets.”

Following that, there was a roundtable discussion characterized as an “experiment,” bringing together four experts in pig nutrition, each addressing three contemporary challenges within the industry.

The panel featured Riccardo Vincenzi, Aitor Balfagón, Jaume Coma, and Hans Stein. Topics addressed included tail-biting, dealing with Streptococcus, “life without zinc oxide,” and the “environmental footprint of animal feeding.”

To conclude the course, Hans Stein (University of Illinois) presented “Evaluation of the Net Energy of Ingredients and Feeds for Growing-Fattening Pigs.” Finally, updates to the FEDNA tables were shared, introducing new ingredients: “Insect Meal: Tenebrio and Black Soldier Fly Larva” (Manuel Fondevila and Guillermo Fondevila, University of Zaragoza) and Almond Husk (Dolores Carro, Polytechnic University of Madrid).

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