October 2025 - Journal_FINAL_e - Flipbook - Page 10
Nutrition
FUTURE-FOCUSED FEEDING
The Distillers Dilemma in Today’s Swine Diets
Madie Johnson
Nutritionist
Pipestone Nutrition
Madie grew up near Parma, Michigan, and earned her undergraduate
degree in animal science from Michigan State University. She completed
her master’s and Ph.D. in applied swine nutrition at Kansas State
University and joined Pipestone Nutrition in 2023, where she focuses on
sow formulation and nutrition research oversight.
Over the past decade, ethanol plants have become
increasingly ef昀椀cient at squeezing every last bit of oil
out of corn. Good news for the ethanol industry, but
a challenge for the DDGS by-product we rely on for
swine diets. Historically, feeding DDGS up to 30%
in grow-昀椀nish rations worked well—if the diet was
balanced correctly. Today, that’s no longer the case.
Swine nutritionists nationwide are sounding the alarm:
modern DDGS aren’t delivering the same results,
and in some instances, they’re impacting growth
and ef昀椀ciency. Making informed, adaptable feeding
decisions today is essential to future-proo昀椀ng your herd
and maintaining long-term performance.
What’s the Research Telling Us?
Kansas State University recently updated their distiller’s
10 | PIPESTONE JOURNAL
calculator and found that feeding up to 30% DDGS
in the diet led to a 3–5% reduction in average daily
gain (ADG) and poorer feed conversion (FG). Recent
data from Pipestone Nutrition shows a similar gain and
ef昀椀ciency response when feeding only 10% DDGS in
the diet. Several others have backed up these 昀椀ndings
in their own trials, although the degree of impact
seems to vary depending on DDGS source and diet
formulation strategy. Bottom line – not all DDGS are
created equal but it’s clear that their nutrient content is
changing.
Soybean Meal vs. DDGS – It’s a Balancing Act
Low soybean meal (SBM) prices in the last 6 months
have driven more soybean meal into diets, reducing
the inclusion of DDGS. Sounds like a win, right? But
