Pig producers pay feed grain growers less than their grain is worth, says the head of the Prairie Swine Centre.
And that won’t change until farmers stop selling grain as a commodity and sell it by the nutrient value.
“We need to recognize that not all barleys are the same,” said director John Patience, of the Saskatoon-based centre.
Generally, feed grains such as barley are valued by bushel weight. The heavier the better, is common wisdom.
But Patience said recent studies at the centre have shown barley nutrient values are variable, and bushel weight is a poor indicator of value.
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The study found that some 50-pound barley had less nutrient value than some 39-pound barley. And some 40-pound barley had the same energy as 56-pound barley.
Peas also showed wildly variable values that corresponded poorly with bushel weight, Patience said.
A Humboldt, Sask. producer who grew 11 types of peas on a single quarter section had the centre examine energy content.
The pea nutrient values ranged from 3,100 kCal to 3,700 kCal per kilogram, and their true value ranged from $170 to $250 per tonne.
“The dollars we are talking about are substantial,” Patience said.
Because feed grain producers cannot prove the nutritional value of their crops, the price is discounted by livestock feeders, Patience said.
“We pay less than it is worth because of the variability.”
The feed industry needs to find ways to define the value of feed crops before it can start benefiting, Patience said.
While finding ways to test and easily analyze the value of feed crops is a technical matter, producers and the feed grain industry need to change their marketing approach.
Patience said producers should not write off their crop for small flaws.
He said some slightly sprouted barley the centre tested had the same nutrient value as regular barley, while frozen grain can still be good feed.
