ST. LOUIS, Mo. Chickens eat
a lot of soybean meal.
At last count, U.S. broilers, hens,
pallets, chicks, and turkeys con
sume more than eight million tons
a year.
About 95 percent of the total
plant protein concentrate used in
poultry feeds is soybean meal. The
meal is used in all types of poultry
feeds, not only in the United States,
but m almost every country that
produces poultry on a commercial
scale.
As University of Arkansas
poultry scientist Park W.
Waldroup says, “It’s difficult to
realistically consider any other
protein supplement as being a
major replacement for soybean
meal at the present time.”
This total reliance on soybean
meal has some people worried,,
says Waldroup. What would
happen to the poultry industry if
disease or bad weather cut
soybean supplies?
The Concrete Choice of Farmers for 21 Years
SMITH CATTLEGUARD® Farm Products
and energy of opening and closing gates.
Fenceline Feed Bunk - Smooth
surface, rounded corners for less
waste
Stock Tanks - Approved by Soil
Conservation Service for a clean,
reliable water supply
Please send me free information on
O Cattlcguards [J Feed Bunks
Name
Address
City
CONCRETE SAFETY SYSTEMS |1(
Route 1095
Would the sky fall for chickens with soybeans?
Although a number of other
protein sources are available,
most lack the potential for sup
plying large amounts of protein in
the near future, Waldroup says.
According to American Soybean
Association animal nutritionist
Ken Lepley, potential substitute
crops each have problems. Cot
tonseed meal contains a toxin.
Peanut production is limited to
certain areas. .
Safflower and sesame meals
could be used, Waldroup says, but
are produced in such small
quantities, or aren’t suitable for
large-scale production, that they
wouldn’t be of much help under
present conditions.
The three prime candidates for
soybean meal replacements are
cottonseed, sunflower and
rapeseed meals. Cottonseed meal
is considered a protein source for
ruminant animals, Waldroup says,
although the meal makes up about
nine percent of the total protein
Centerline Feed Bunk -Adaptable
to all types of overhead feeding
systems
wm w
r v...
<* .«2?
« \ i
" *
Freeze-Proof Waterer - No out
side source of energy requited to
keep water ice-free, even In sub
zero temperatures
□ Freeze-Proof Waterers
State
Bethel, Pa. 19507
supplement for poultry.
Poultry feeders have steered
away from cottonseed meal
because it contains gossypol, a
pigment toxic when present even
at low levels.
"In layer hens, it causes a
discolored egg yolk,” Lepley says.
“The toxicity limits the use of
normal cottonseed meal for
poultry rations. Cottonseed meal is
also deficient in the amino acid
lysine.”
As for sunflower seed meal,
Waldroup says, the predicted
production boom of the 1970 s hasn’t
yet materialized. But sunflower
meal still has potential to become a
major contributor to poultry feeds.
“Before this meal will be used
extensively in poultry feeds, more
of the hulls need to be removed to
increase the energy and protein
content,” Waldroup says. “At
present, there is little incentive for
sunflower seed processors to do
this.”
All products feature:
Durable Precast Concrete
Steel Reinforcement
Simple Installation
Low Maintenance
High Quality
All products available
from stock
12 Ft. Cattteguard *395
14Ft. Cattieguard *425
16 Ft. Cattieguard *450
Freeze-Proof Waterer *250
F. 0.8. Plant
Licensed by EASI-SET’ Industries
Stock Tanks
Zip
Phone
Canola or rapeseed meal is
typically lower in protein and
energy for poultry than soybean
meal. Waldroup says. A goal of
scientists working to develop
rapeseed varieties with a thinner
seed coat is to reduce fiber and
increase energy content.
“Unless some major disaster
occurs, it is unlikely that any of
these meals will seriously
challenge soybean^meal’s role as
the primary protein source in
poultry feeds," Waldroup con
cludes.
We can’t do much about a
weather disaster, but what is the
possibility of a disease wiping out
the U.S. soybean crop?
Says University of Missouri
agronomist J. Milton Poehltnan, “I
just don’t think a genetic disaster
is going to happen as some people
predict. After all, they’ve been
growing soybeans in China for
thousands of years.
“It’s true we are losing many of
LF
7/1/83
(717) 933-4107
Lancaster Faming, Saturday, July 2, 1983—8 l 7
the native types of soybeans, which
grow like weeds in China,”
Poehlman continues. “But we have
a worldwide network and facilities
to maintain our germplasm
collections. We have narrowed the
selection of varieties, but we’ve
built a diverse genetic background
into those varieties. And we know
how to use this genetic
variability.”
So chickens of the world, rest
easy. It doesn’t look like the sky
will fall on soybeans.
SCALES
LIVESTOCK SCALES
For
Hog Operations
TRUCK & PLATFORM
SCALES ALSO AVAILABLE
GARBER SCALE COMPANY
P.0.80x 8
Smoketown, PA 17576
Phone: 717-393-1708
ALL SCALES STATE APPROVED.
CUSTOM MADE
FEED BINS FOR
FARMS FEED MILLS
• Made of 13 gauge Steel
• All welded seams
• Gravity Flow or Auger .
Free Estimates
Also - Steel Rpof Trusses for
buildings - Portable Hog Buildings
- Bucket Elevators - Grain Augers
Distributors - Flow Pipes &
Accessories
We Sell, Service & Install
Ph; 215-944-7808
STOLTZFUS WELDING SHOP
Owner - Samuel P. Stoltzfus
RDIOII, Dryville Rd.
Fleetwood, PA 19522
■CAD
LANCASTER
FARMING
FOR COMPLETE
AND
UP-TO-DATE
MARKET
REPORTS