In this episode, host Sarah Muirhead talks with Dr. R.Dean Boyd and Dr. Aaron Gaines about establishing reliable net energy (NE) values for soybean meal (SBM) in commercial growing and finishing swine diets. Boyd and Gaines are the authors of a recently published Feedstuffs article, “Soybean meal NE value for growing pigs is greater in commercial environments.”

Typically, academic research facilities lack pathogen and/or environmental stressors that are encountered in commercial barns, which typically house 1000 pigs or more per room. The authors discuss how the apparent difference in NE estimates between academic and commercial environments are determined and will propose that health-promoting molecules specific to SBM contribute to the difference.

Listeners can learn more about why there is a difference between the two environments (as well as a comparison to other industry references, such as NRC) and the key takeaways in terms of new opportunities – and value – for the industry.