Comparison of organic and conventional fed diets for grow-finish pigs

R. G. Koehler
Southwest Research & Outreach Center, University of Minnesota
Website: http://swroc.coafes.umn.edu/Bob/koehler_main_page.html
E-mail: koehl009@umn.edu

Abstract
Livestock production is essential to a sustainable organic farm, but adoption of organic livestock enterprises, and particularly swine, have lagged behind organic crop production in the U.S. Swine producers who have expressed an interest in organic pork production systems often feel that that insufficient knowledge exists on health, nutrition, and particularly cost of production in organic systems for them to start a certified organic operation. Almost no actual data exists on production and economic benchmarks for organic pork production. This project was designed to be a beginning point for gaining such information in Minnesota. Funding was provided by a USDA SARE producer grant. Warren Roberts, Oak Creek Farm, Deer Creek, MN was the cooperating producer. At the time of the trials Warren raised certified organic crops and raised non-certified hogs using non-antibiotic natural methods. In 2002 Warren placed 26 home raised feeder pigs on trial and in 2003 a total of 26 pigs were fed. Starting weights were in the 45-65 pound range. In each year pigs were divided into an organic feed treatment group and another group fed conventional corn-soybeans diets. They were housed in side by side outside pens with concrete floors and with straw bedding in the under roof sleeping area. The feed source for both the organic and conventional treatments was the Buckwheat Growers Association of Minnesota facility at Wadena, MN.

This on-farm comparison only looked at the finishing phase of production. In each year both treatments were fed and managed in one group prior to the test. The pre-test management system could be termed “natural” in that the pigs and their
dams were fed without antibiotics, they were fed home grown grains from a farm that raises certified organic crops but some conventional ingredients were included in those diets, and dams were treated for mange with Ivomec prior to farrowing. The management system prior to going on test was probably quite ideal in terms of not compromising the results of the trial for either treatment.

The conventionally fed pigs received an Ivomec injection for external and internal parasites at the beginning of the trials. Organically fed pigs received dimaceous earth in their diet for worm control and were not treated for mange. The conventional diet was composed of corn, soybean meal, and a commercial vitamin mineral premix with lysine. Conventional diets also included Copper Sulfate and BMD-30. The organic diets were composed of organic corn, barley, buckwheat, field peas, flax seed, roasted soybeans, and a vitaminmineral product designed for organic production. The intention was for diets to be formulated to equalized protein and lysine between treatments based on book values for the feedstuffs used.

Performance for the two treatments was similar. In 2002 organically fed pigs gained 1.596 pounds per day and required 352 Southwest Research & Outreach Center, University of Minnesota pounds of feed per 100 pounds of gain while conventionally fed pigs gained 1.568 pounds per day and required 357 pounds of
feed per 100 pounds of gain. In 2003, starting with slightly larger feeder pigs, average daily gains were 2.22 pounds for each treatment. Feed fed per 100 pounds of gain was 285 pounds for the organic treatment and 299 for the conventional group.

In 2002 feed cost per cwt. for the conventional pigs was $35.48/cwt. compared to $59.74/cwt. for the organically fed pigs for a difference of $24.25/cwt. Assuming these feed costs and a theoretical situation of adding 200 pounds of weight to a feeder pig and marketing at 240 pounds, the extra feed cost of this feeding period would require a $20.21/cwt premium for the organic pigs to realize the same return as the conventional pigs assuming all other costs were equal.

In 2003 feed cost per 100 pounds of gain for the organic treatment was $46.19 and $27.92 for the conventional treatment. Conventional feed at this northern Minnesota site was charged at $3.36 per bushel for corn and $300 per ton for soybean meal. In many areas of significant corn production conventional corn cost during this time was near $2.00-$2.25 per bushel. In those areas the cost difference would have been significantly greater. During these grow-finishing phase comparisons performance between the two treatments was very similar. It appears from these results that producers evaluating the costs of an organic system could assume equal growth and feed efficiency and compare the options (and premium necessary) based on the cost to formulate diets that supply similar nutrient density (protein/lysine, calcium, phosphorous, etc.) from conventional and organic sources available to them. In addition to the cost difference in the grow-finish phase an additional cost should be assigned to organic feeder pigs to account for a higher cost of feed in the breeding herd fed organic feed. Conventional production budgets for producing feeder pigs (available from University and feed industry sources) could be adjusted upward by the expected increase in cost of feed in the organic system.

 

About the Author
Bob Koehler is an Extension Educator and Professor at the University of Minnesota-Southwest Research & Outreach Center in southwest Minnesota. He holds a B.S. and M.S., majoring in Animal Science. In addition to 30 years in research/outreach activities Koehler has worked in other areas of the livestock
business including production and marketing. His recent work has focused on environmental issues in livestock production and in producer positioning in response to industry change.

 

 

 

From Proceedings of the 1st IFOAM International Conference on Animals in Organic Production
© IFOAM, August 2006, posted here with permission.

 

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Posted September 2007