Laboratory Services

In today’s competitive marketplace, you need fast, reliable information to make sound business decisions. Wenger Feeds has offered services from its own Quality Assurance Laboratory since 2004 and recently updated its service offering to focus on the strengths of the facility and the needs of customers.

Feed Testing
Laboratory Services offers feed ingredient analysis using NIR spectroscopy. NIR is an acronym for near-infrared. The testing method is a simple process of grinding a sample and allowing the NIR instrument to analyze and calculate the nutrient levels of the product. This service is available for most commonly used bulk feed ingredients.

Feed and Ingredient Analysis
In addition to NIR, Laboratory Services offers mycotoxin testing for Aflatoxin, T-2 Toxins, DON (Vomitoxin), Fumonisin, and Zearalenone. Other feed analyses including particle size, pellet durability, moisture, and salt are also available to support any quality assurance program.

For customers who require wet chemistry analysis, the lab can package your sample to refer to an outside lab for protein, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, fat, urease activity, trypsin inhibitor, pesticide, protein, fat, fiber, calcium, or moisture testing.

Egg Testing
Shell strength, Haugh Units, yolk color, and egg shell thickness tests are available. In addition, egg testing customers get access to Wenger’s extensive database of testing results. Egg quality reports feature a comparison of historical results compared to other flocks of the same bird strain and age. The company’s poultry database contains multiple bird strains and hundreds of individual tests.

Flock Health Monitoring
Laboratory Services also offers quick turnaround on serology for Infectious Bronchitis, Newcastle, AE, IBD, MG, and MS.

Water Testing
An array of water tests including hardness, pH, iron, nitrates, sulfates, E.coli, and total coliform are available.

Services and Expertise
With expertise, facilities, and a variety of available services, Laboratory Services can be a valuable resource for your business. The company’s compact laboratory allows for quick turn around and swift reporting of results via fax or e-mail.

Focus on Pellet Durability

Good pellet quality is essential for optimum feed conversion in poultry—broiler chickens, ducks, and turkeys—and swine. Compared to mash feed, pelleted feeds reduce the time and energy needed to digest feed resulting in improved feed efficiency. This leaves the animal with more energy available for growth. In addition, less time eating means that there is more feeder space available for the rest of the flock insuring the birds grow uniformly.

Science clearly indicates that pellet quality is important, but ingredient consistency and formulation can have an effect on the feed’s ability to form a good pellet. Diets with coarsely ground corn can be difficult to bind. A feed manufacturer’s goal should be to produce a quality pellet regardless of formulation, ingredient consistency, or equipment.

Pellet Durability Index (PDI)
Our Quality Assurance Department tests the PDI of feeds according to a fixed schedule and shares those results with each mill location. “Our goal is to engage mill personnel and mill maintenance by sharing our findings and soliciting their ideas for improvement,” noted Kevin Herkelman, Technical Services Manager. In addition, a pilot program for a faster on-premises PDI test is currently being developed.

1/8 Inch Pellets
Recently, Wenger’s began a trial of 1/8 inch pellets at the Spring Glen and Shippensburg Mills. “Our goal was to provide slightly smaller and more durable pellets for specialty feed customers. Unlike chickens, ducks are unable to eat fines, so pellet quality is paramount for this customer,” noted Dan McNally, Account Leader. Since equipment must be changed to make the smaller pellets, several departments are working together to schedule loads and seek other customers with an interest in smaller size pellets to insure efficient operation of the mill equipment.

On-Farm Visits
While testing pellet quality at the mill is important, the pellets must survive their journey into the feed bin and into the feeder—which is where Adam Zurin comes in. Adam, Customer Quality Representative, is starting a pilot program for on-farm visits. The goal of this program is to collect on-farm samples for PDI analysis and insure good communication between Wenger’s and its customers regarding quality issues.

Continuous Improvement
Testing, on-farm evaluation, and equipment changes are just part of the effort to continuously improve customer satisfaction. Wenger Feeds continues to test ingredients and seek customer and employee feedback on improving pellet quality.

Stay on Budget with Feed Optimizer®

Ensure Efficient and Timely Ordering
Feed is the single largest cost in any animal production operation, and effective ordering is crucial to helping control costs and enhance performance.

Wenger Feeds offers worry-free ordering with Feed Optimizer®, a software program that allows our customer service department to automatically place feed orders.

To get started, a customer provides Wenger’s with his/her feed inventory. The company matches a customer’s feed needs and feed budget to help insure correct ordering. In addition to adhering to the feed budget, automatic ordering also frees time in the busy day of any grower.

Wenger’s broiler customers have been especially pleased with this tool as it helps all growers adhere to the approved feed budget of starter, grower, and finisher feeds. A turkey version of Feed Optimizer® is currently being tested.

While Feed Optimizer® is available to any broiler grower who wishes to use it, Wenger’s does require a test period to insure the tool will work for each grower.

To date, nearly 50 farmers are using the tool. As Customer Service Coordinator Jody Eisenbise notes, “It’s very easy to use, and a few of the growers have told me that they like it because it allows them to concentrate on other things on the farm.”

In addition to freeing time on the farm, the tool also aids Wenger’s manufacturing department. Jody continues, “I believe it helps the mills because they are getting the orders with at least 48 hours notice or more.”

The company continues to develop in-house tools and investigate new technology to help customers gain efficiencies on their farm.

Turkey Coccidiosis and Control

This short article is intended for those who may not have a working relationship with cocci or the control methods available today. It was written in 2009 and hopefully will be of value to those who may have never been responsible for designing anti-coccidial programs or being responsible for making recommendations for an anti-coccidial program. At this time, anti-coccidial programs are all too frequently based on price of the medication rather than on the properties and actions of those medications. Anti-coccidial programs have, for all intents and purposes, become commodity-based decisions. A more consistent level of cocci control would be achieved by considering the disease itself, the medications available, and the mode of action of those medications.

What exactly is Coccidiosis (Cocci)?
Coccidiosis is a disease of turkeys (and other animal species) that has been around forever. Its control is one of the factors that made our current broiler industry what it has become today. The first really effective anticoccidal medications were introduced in the 1950’s and have grown since then.

Coccidiosis, also called Eimeria, is a single celled intra-cellular parasite. Exactly what does that mean? Well, it means that this is an organism that has no useful purpose in life except to invade living cells and kill them. These single celled organisms live in the gut of the turkey.

They invade the turkeys’ cells that line the intestinal tract. While in the cell, the cocci reproduces (by the thousands and millions) and in the process kills the cell it is living in. This process continues through a number of cycles until it is eventually excreted in the feces in a form that is resistant to the environment (called oocyst). Outside the body of the turkey, cocci matures to a form that can infect yet other birds in the flock—and the cycle repeats itself. Therefore, we need to control cocci for the turkeys’ health. If cocci is left unchecked, it will affect weight gain, feed conversion, and possibly even mortality.

There are seven different species of coccidia that infect turkeys. Of those, the three most important (and the ones you will see in the field) are Eimeria meleagrimitis (E. meleagrimitis), E. adenoeides, and E. gallopavonis.

E. meleagrimitis affects the upper half of the small intestine and causes the intestinal wall to thicken. Death can occur 5-7 days after infection.

E. adenoeides affects poults 2-4 weeks old and causes severe enteritis of the small intestine, ceca, and rectum. Infection can result in severe mortality (up to 100%) after 5 days.

E. gallopavonis affects the ileum, rectum, and half of the ceca. Lesions are similar to E. meleagrimitis with a thickened intestinal wall and empty digestive tract.
These are the three species we try to control to maximize weight gain, feed efficiency, and minimize mortality due to cocci. This brings us to control of coccidiosis.

Cocci Control
In order to control coccidosis, a number of medications have been approved worldwide. Not all of these medications are approved for use in the U.S. and some that are approved are not available for one reason or another. In addition, resistance or reduced sensitivity to some medications is increasing and no new anticoccidial compounds are known to be under development. Again, this is most likely due to economic return on these types of investments. For simplicities sake, cocci control may be accomplished through the use of these control measures: 1. Ionophores; 2. Non-ionophores (chemicals); or 3. Immunity.

Ionophores
Included here are Coban (monensin) and Avatec (lasalocid).

Chemicals
Included here are Clinacox (diclazuril), Amprol (amprolium), Coyden (clopidol), Zoamix (zoalene) and Rofenaid (sulfadimethoxine and ormetoprin).

Immunity
Included here are the cocci vaccines that are commercially available. The birds’ own ‘natural’ immunity should also be considered, although it is limited. Ionophores are considered to be the ‘backbone’ of today’s anticoccidial programs. The cost of these drugs is variable, but generally chemicals are more expensive than ionophores. So, let’s say a few words about each of these control measures.

Coban (Monensin) is the oldest of the ionophores and was actually the first ionophore to be introduced. Coban is beginning to experience some reduced sensitivity. There is a fair amount of ‘leakage’ with this compound meaning cocci may be seen in the turkey gut.

Amprol (Amprolium) has typically been used as a treatment anticoccidial in the water when cocci is seen in a given flock. It is a very effective drug to some extent to bring the cost of the medication in line with ionophores.

Coyden (Clopidol) is a coccidiostatic chemical introduced in the 1960’s. It is a very effective broiler anticoccidial when used properly (like all chemicals). Coyden can be used in meat type turkeys for control of leucocytozoonosis, a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan leucocytozoon smithi. Coyden may be used for a single cycle in any one year. No resistance issues have been seen, but judicious use is appropriate.

Clinacox (Diclazuril) is considered a potent chemical. It was introduced in 2000 with widespread use. Resistance developed rapidly as the product was not used judiciously. It is still effective when used properly and “rested” between rotations.

Cocci vaccines (Cocci Vac-T) are either live attenuated or non-attenuated vaccines that also live and replicate in the hosts’ intestinal cells thus stimulating active immunity. By doing so, a condition of sub-clinical coccidiosis (coccidiasis) is created. The coccidiosis does result in decreased performance of the birds to some extent. When used, cocci vaccines are most commonly placed in summer cycles, where cocci challenge is typically lower.

Cocci Control Programs
The terms “shuttle” and “rotation” are used to describe cocci control programs. A “shuttle” describes the use of different anticoccidial medications in the different feeds (starter, grower, finisher, etc.) during one grow-out cycle.

A “rotation” describes the use of different anticoccidial medications for a given period of time—for example 3 or 6 months. A “rotation” may also be designed around the seasons of the year.

Finally, no matter what anticoccidial medications, shuttle, or rotation that may be used, a good solid poultry house management regimen is a very important part of the overall coccidia control plan.

Reprinted with permission from Best Veterinary Solutions, Inc. Written by Huvepharma Tech Service Group.

Layer Records Updated

Improvements were recently made to Wenger Feeds’ Weekly Performance Summary—known as “layer records” to many customers. The changes were driven, in part, by the new FDA Egg Safety Rule. Information necessary for those inspections was added to the records. While the basic format has remained the same, the following items were adjusted:
• The “Environmental” heading now contains the cooler temperature (Clr) column as well as the addition of fly count (Fly) and Ammonia (Am) levels.
• The pounds of feed per dozen eggs column (lb/Dz) has been removed.
• There is now a location for the three SE environmental swab dates.
• The codes used in the “Additives” column will now use lower case for the second letter if the code contains two letters. This will make it easier to distinguish the additive(s) used. For example, Currently UR could be Aureomycin or TZB-200 and Dical. With the changes, Aureomycin will now be Ur.

Wenger Feeds has been offering layer records since the 1970s, and the company has an extensive archive of performance data on various breeds of hens.

Information collected throughout the week is sent to Wenger’s office by producers and layer service staff. Every piece of data collected can help a producer increase their efficiency in specific areas. Producers can see what their birds are doing compared to other producers that are facing the same temperature, humidity, and general weather conditions.

While the records do not replace daily monitoring of the flock by barn workers, they are another tool available to help producers maximize performance. The feed consumption and egg production numbers also aid in the use of Wenger Feeds’ phase feeding programs. If you’re interested in this service, contact your Wenger Feeds Account Leader for details.

Flushing & Sequencing Ensures Integrity of Feed

Wenger Feeds makes thousands of different feed formulas for poultry and swine. Given the needs and markets of a diverse customer base, we offer a variety of choices including the inclusion of supplements and medications to treat disease.

To ensure the integrity and safety of our products, the production and delivery of all feeds is carefully sequenced. Sequencing involves creating an order within the manufacturing and delivery process to ensure feeds with restricted ingredients are not manufactured directly before feeds for a species that may have a reaction to minute traces of medications or other ingredients from the previous load. Certain drugs require flushing between loads, and if proper sequencing for any ingredient cannot be accomplished with the existing workload, milling  equipment is flushed with a small amount of feed or chopped corn. If flushing is not possible, mill operators physically clean out equipment and transition points to remove feed residue. Transportation equipment is flushed with a small amount of feed. Flushing can halt production and interrupt the efficiency of the mill, so every effort is made by mill operators and dispatchers to properly sequence whenever possible.

Proper flushing and sequencing procedures primarily insure the safety of feeds. Medications that can remedy a disease in one species could potentially cause production drops and even mortality in another. Drugs are color coded on production and dispatch screens so their status is immediately apparent to operators and dispatchers. In total, six colors are used to represent different drug types, and their prohibited combinations are listed within the sequencing procedure. If drugs in different categories are used in combination, the most restrictive color code is used to sequence the order through the mill and delivery.

With the exception of the Massey, Maryland location, which does not use these medications, all of Wenger Feeds’ milling locations are registered and licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to handle Category Two, Type A medications. In addition to licensing, the mills undergo inspection by the FDA, carefully track medication usage, and are required to submit feed samples throughout the year to ensure proper usage.

While the procedures described above protect the integrity and safety of all feeds, additional flushing and final feed testing are services also available to customers to meet the specific needs of their customer base. Contact your Wenger Feeds Account Leader for more information.

Crackless Egg helps find packing line problems

There are many aspects required to manage a successful egg laying flock, and few things can be more frustrating than mechanical and design deficiencies that cause cracked and broken eggs. While feeding and lighting programs may be in place to nurture a high performing flock, many eggs can still be broken on their journey from the layer house to the packing room. Wenger Feeds Egg Production division is currently using a wireless egg to help find problems on the packing line that can lead to broken eggs in the packing room.

The egg-shaped Crackless Egg manufactured by Sensor Wireless, Inc. can be activated and placed in the flow of eggs as they roll out of the cage and into the collection stream. Once in place, an operator walks beside the egg carrying a Palm wireless device. The Palm shows the readout of g-forces as they hit the egg during its journey to the packing room. Based on research conducted at Cal Poly State University, a Large Grade “A” can be hit with 45 g-forces up to three times before it can break. An 85 g-force can break the same type of egg with a single hit. “We can use this device to find the trouble spots and improve the entire gradeout,” noted Egg Quality Coordinator Jeff Webb.

Prior to owning the Crackless Egg, Jeff would take several eggs out of the flow, mark them, and then follow them to the packing room focusing on perceived trouble spots. With this system, some eggs were broken intentionally and packing at the houses had to slow temporarily while the experiment took place. The wireless egg insures that no actual product is broken and that packing can continue thereby improving efficiency for the customer.

The device does not take the place of experience, however. Jeff noted, “I still use my experience to locate a problem area. However, the equipment makes the process of pinpointing the exact problem much faster and with no packing disruptions especially in large houses and complexes.” Jeff continues to experiment with the device, which has so far been effective at finding problem areas faster and more efficiently, insuring packing can continue and the overall gradeout for the house will be improved and more profitable. “We’re still looking at all the features offered by the device and determining which reports are most useful to us as we continue to improve egg quality for our customers,” noted Jeff.

Wheat for Poultry and Swine Feeds

Dr. Kevin Herkelman
Wheat is mainly grown for use in human food production. The use of wheat in animal feeds is usually limited to times when wheat is competitively priced with corn or other grains. The high price of corn has increased the interest in the potential use of wheat in poultry and swine feeds. It is important to understand some of the characteristics of wheat to make proper feeding decisions when it is economically advantageous to use wheat.

There are two types of wheat typically available: hard red winter wheat and soft red winter wheat. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana are leading producers of soft red winter wheat varieties, which are manufactured into cake, cracker and biscuit flours. In the Central and Great Plains states like Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska, hard red winter wheat is grown for use in breads.
A nutrient comparison of hard red winter wheat, soft red winter wheat, and corn is shown in Table 1. Wheat contains less energy, but more protein and amino acids (methionine + cystine and lysine) than corn. Hard red winter wheat contains more phosphorus than corn, and both wheat types contain more available phosphorus than corn. Hard red winter wheat contains more protein and amino acids than soft red winter wheat, but contains less energy.

Although wheat contains more protein and lysine than corn, the balance of amino acids in wheat is rather poor. This means poultry and swine diets formulated with wheat should be balanced on an acid (methionine + cystine and/or lysine) basis, not a crude protein basis. Replacing corn with wheat on an equal protein basis decreases the dietary amino acid content of the feed and can result in poorer animal performance. Research from the University of Kentucky suggests wheat has a similar value to corn when diets are formulated on an equal amino acid and energy basis. The feeding value of the two types of wheat appears to be similar in poultry and swine when feeds are balanced on an amino acid basis.

Wheat available for use in animal feed is typically a “feed-grade wheat” and is often product rejected for human food production. Low test weight, sprouted grains, and the presence of mycotoxins are all factors which prevent the use of wheat in human foods. These same factors can reduce the nutritional value of wheat or even make it unsuitable for use in poultry and swine diets.

Wheat stressed by weather or disease often has lighter test weights. As the bushel weight of wheat decreases, the energy level of wheat also decreases. If a feed contains low test weight wheat (low test weight not taken into account), animals compensate by consuming more feed. Growth rate is often not influenced, but poorer feed efficiency can result.

Low test weight wheat can be used in poultry and swine diets, but the reduction in energy needs to be taken into account to prevent a reduction in performance. Fat supplementation can be used or light test weight wheat can be blended with normal test weight grain to account for the reduction in energy content. The price paid for light test weight wheat should take the reduced energy content into account.

High rainfall just before harvest can cause wheat to sprout on the head. Sprouted grain typically contains less energy than non-sprouted grain. The lower energy level makes the feeding recommendations for sprouted wheat similar to those for light test weight wheat.

Fungal diseases of wheat can reduce the feeding value of wheat. Scab can be caused by several fungi in the genus, Fusarium. Kernels infected with scab tend to be shriveled, chalky white, and some grains will be pinkish in color. Zearalenone and vomitoxin (DON) have been the mycotoxins associated with scabby wheat.

Zearalenone is commonly associated with reproductive problems in swine and the presence of vomitoxin in feed typically reduces feed consumption. The level of zearalenone and vomitoxin in the complete feed of swine should each be less than 1 ppm. The level of vomitoxin in poultry feeds should be less than 5 ppm. Since wheat available for animal feed use has typically been rejected for use in human foods, it is important to check for mycotoxin levels in wheat.

Wheat containing garlic bulblets can’t be used for human consumption. Wheat contaminated with garlic is subject to a rather severe price reduction. The performance of poultry and swine does not appear to be influenced by garlicky wheat containing up to 160 bulblets per pound. Wheat severely contaminated with garlic (> 600 bulblets per pound) is unpalatable to young pigs and can cause a garlicky flavor in pork. However, even severely contaminated wheat can be diluted with other grains to overcome the potential problems associated with garlicky wheat.

From a manufacturing standpoint, the use of wheat does improve pellet durability. The proteins in wheat help to bind ingredients during the pelleting process. Wheat can become very floury and can be somewhat unpalatable if ground too finely. Feeds containing finely ground wheat may flow poorly in feeders. For poultry, finely ground wheat can cause beak impaction due to the protein in wheat becoming sticky and adhering to the beak. In swine, finely ground wheat may increase the incidence of stomach ulcers.

Wheat should be coarsely ground and each kernel must be broken. A hammer mill with a ¼ inch opening in the screen and a reduced hammer speed can result in a desirable particle size. If all else fails, the amount of wheat added to the diet can also be limited in an effort to overcome some of the difficulties associated with handling diets containing finely ground wheat.

Wheat can be successfully used in poultry and swine feeds. Keep the following points in mind when considering the use of wheat.
1.     The decision to use wheat should be based on economics.
2.    Formulate diets containing wheat on lysine basis rather than a protein basis.
3.    The test weight of wheat should be determined and wheat should be examined for sprouted grains and the presence of garlic bulblets.
4.    Wheat should be tested for the zearalenone and vomitoxin.  The complete feed of swine should contain less than 1 ppm of each of these mycotoxins. Poultry diets should contain less than 5 ppm of vomitoxin.
5.    Coarsely grind wheat and make sure every kernel is broken.
6.    Replace only a portion of your grain if finely ground wheat is a potential problem.
7.    If you make a switch from corn to wheat, gradually increase the level of wheat in the diet to help animals adapt to wheat containing diets.

Phytase: A review of practical application

Dr. Kevin Herkelman

Phosphorus is a critical nutrient required by all animals. The main role of phosphorus is to support skeletal formation, mainly bones and teeth. Nearly 80% of the body’s phosphorus is contained in the bone. Phosphorus also plays a key role in carbohydrate metabolism, fat metabolism, lean tissue deposition, and as a component of phospholipids, which are important for proper cell structure.

Table 1 shows the phosphorus content of typical ingredients used in poultry and swine feeds. Plant-based ingredients like corn, wheat, soybean meal, wheat middlings, and Distiller’s Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) are fairly low in phosphorus

Table 1. Phosphorus Composition of Ingredients Used in Poultry and Swine Feeds

content. A typical combination of corn and soybean meal (the most common ingredients used in poultry and swine feeds) will provide less than half of animal’s requirement of phosphorus.

Animal byproducts such as meat and bone meal and poultry byproduct meal contain much higher levels of phosphorus than the plant based ingredients and can be important sources of phosphorus in animal feeds. Dicalcium phosphate, an inorganic phosphorus source, contains a high level of phosphorus compared to plant and animal based ingredients. However, due to cost, inorganic phosphorus sources are typically only included in the diet at levels to fill the gap between the animal’s phosphorus requirement and the level of phosphorus provided by other dietary ingredients.

Unfortunately, not all of the phosphorus in feed ingredients is available to animals for productive purposes. In grains and seeds, this is due to phytate. Phytate is a complex molecule that binds phosphorus (and other nutrients) for storage in seeds and grains. Between 60 to 70% of phosphorus in plant based ingredients occurs as phytate bound phosphorus. This phytate bound phosphorus is unavailable to the animal, because the digestive tract lacks adequate amounts of the enzyme (phytase) necessary to release the phosphorus from the phytate complex.

Table 2. Comparison of a Swine Diet With or Without Phytase

Phytase is an enzyme capable of releasing phosphorus from the phytate complex in grains and seeds. This phytase is a specific, commercially-available phytase product added to the diet to release phosphorus. Any phosphorus released by phytase from ingredients is then available for use by the animal to meet phosphorus requirements and to be used for productive purposes.

Phytase activity is typically expressed as “phytase units” or “FTU” per unit of feed. In general, 500 FTU of phytase per kilogram of feed liberates 0.10% phosphorus from dietary ingredients. In addition, this level of phytase also liberates calcium and other nutrients bound to the phytate molecule.

Table 2 shows a comparison of a swine grow-finish diet formulated with and without phytase. The addition of phytase decreases the amount of supplemental phosphorus (dicalcium phosphate) required to be added to the diet. In addition, the amount of supplemental protein (soybean meal) is also reduced.

The total amount of phosphorus in the diet is decreased 0.10% (0.50 to 0.40%). However, the amount of available phosphorus (the amount of phosphorus available to the animal for productive purposes) is the equal between the diets. This is because we are making more of the phosphorus from dietary ingredients “available” when phytase is added to the diet. In addition, feed cost is substantially decreased due to the competitiveness between suppliers of commercially-available phytase and the high cost of inorganic phosphorus supplements.

One major advantage of using dietary phytase is reduced phosphorus excretion. The phytase containing diet in Table 2 indicates total phosphorus in the diet can be reduced 0.10% with less inorganic phosphorus supplementation. This reduction in total phosphorus in the diet results in a similar reduction in the amount of phosphorus excreted by the pig (phosphorus not used by the pig).

Table 3. Effect of Phytase on Phosphorus Excretion

Table 3 demonstrates the effect of using phytase on phosphorus excretion. Experimentally, daily phosphorus intake was equalized between pigs fed diets with and without phytase (not done practically), the digestibility of phosphorus was increased nearly 11% when phytase was added to the diet. The addition of dietary phytase decreases the amount of phosphorus excreted through the feces by approximately 17%.

The decrease in phosphorus excretion determined experimentally has also been evaluated on a practical basis. Table 4 illustrates the effect of reduced phosphorus diets on total manure phosphorus excretion and the amount of land required to manage the level of phosphorus. The ability to reduce phosphorus level through the use of phytase resulted in a 31% reduction in phosphorus excreted. This resulted in a reduction in the amount of land required to handle the phosphorus excretion in the two types of manure storage systems analyzed.

Table 4. Manure Phosphorus Excretion and Land Required to Manage Excretion in a 1,000 Head Capacity Pig Finishing Building

In summary, phosphorus is a critical nutrient required by poultry and swine. Unfortunately, a significant portion of the phosphorus in typical ingredients is unavailable for productive use by animals due to the phytate complex. The use of dietary phytase releases previously unavailable phosphorus, reduces the amount of supplemental phosphorus, and reduces feed costs. In addition, phosphorus excretion and the amount of land required to handle excreted phosphorus is reduced when phytase is added to poultry and swine feeds.

How energy efficient is your farm?

Rebecca Ranck, Compliance Coordinator, Environmental, Health, and Safety
How energy efficient is your farm? You may have read in previous articles that Wenger Feeds is actively pursuing energy efficiency at all milling facilities, the office, and the egg warehouse by conducting energy audits, but you may have wondered, “How can I do the same thing”? An energy audit is an analysis of where you are using energy on your farm, and the audit results reveal potential energy reduction strategies that are cost effective. The Penn State Cooperative Extension, in conjunction with the USDA’s Rural Development agency, is now offering a program to provide low cost energy audits to farms in Pennsylvania. The USDA will pay 75% of the cost of the audit, leaving only 25% of the cost to the farmer. The audits are completed by Agricultural engineering specialists or private consultants. Depending on where your farm is located, your electric supplier may even be able to help you reduce your costs even more. Energy audits will be conducted starting in May 2011, and the program runs through 2012. Funds for this program are on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can check your eligibility at http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/.

Conducting an energy audit will give each operator an easy-to-understand report that lists recommended ways to improve energy efficiency on the farm plus information on possible funding for installing energy efficient equipment.

If you are interested and have questions, contact one of the program contacts listed below to find out more. When you are ready to request an audit, the extension can provide you with a price quote that you will need to sign and return before work begins. The audit generally takes less than 4 weeks to complete, and the extension will consult with you on the results as well as provide guidance on how to take the next step to improve your farm’s energy performance.

Program Contacts:
Daniel Ciolkosz, Program Coordinator
Penn State University
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
249 Ag Engineering Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-3484
dec109@psu.edu
Peggy Fogarty-Harnish
Agricultural Economic Development Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension, Lancaster County
1383 Arcadia Road, Room 140, Lancaster, PA 17601-3149
717-394-6851
pfogharn@psu.edu
George Hurd
Penn State Cooperative Extension – Franklin County
181 Franklin Farms Lane
Chambersburg, PA 17202
717 263 9226
grh5@psu.edu
Dan F. McFarland
Sr. Extension Educator – Ag Engineering
Penn State Cooperative Extension
112 Pleasant Acres Road
York, PA 17402
(717)-840-7560 Voice
(717)-755-5968 FAX
dfm6@psu.edu
Susan Parry, Coordinator
Capital Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Area Council, Inc.
401 East Louther St., Suite 307
Carlisle, PA 17013
Office Phone: (717) 241-4361
Office Fax: (717) 240-0548
susan.parry@pa.usda.gov
Alan Zepp
Center for Dairy Excellence
2301 North Cameron St
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-346-0849
717-705-2342 FAX
azepp@centerfordairyexcellence.org