Wheat is econom
With com prices expected to
remain high at least until harvest,
many cost-conscious hog
producers are finding wheat an
economically attractive alter
native to corn-based rations, says
Susan Hackmann, a grain analyst
with Pershing Futures in Chicago.
“This year, producers are
feeding wheat to livestock in
record amounts, even in the Corn
Belt because of high com prices
and short supplies,” Hackmann
points out. According to USDA
records, 425 million bushels of
wheat were fed to livestock during
the 1983-84 crop year for wheat,
compared to 221 million bushels
the previous year. “And for the
year as a whole, the USDA projects
some 400 million bushels will be fed
to livestock.” Most of this wheat,
she notes, will be fed from June
through September, when farmers
are waiting for the com harvest.
Although wheat traditionally
enjoys a significant price premium
over com, this year prices on the
Chicago Board of Trade are vir
tually the same, Hackmann says.
“July futures contracts closed with
com at 3.53-1/2 per bu., and wheat
at 3.64-3/4 per bu.,” she Says.
“Considering that a bushel of com
weighs 56 lbs., and wheat 60 lbs.,
wheat is in fact cheaper than
com,” she declares.
From the nutritional standpoint,
wheat compares very favorably to
corn, adds Dr. Gawain Willis,
senior swine nutritionist for
Ralston Purina Company, who
notes that wheat is significantly
higher in lysine and available
phosphorus. Wheat, he explains,
contains 30 percent more lysine
and almost three times the
available phosphorus than com. *
Yet, warns Willis, all-wheat diets
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In light of current corn prices, wheat may be the logical feed
alternative for many hog farmers.
still fall far short of meeting a pig’s
total nutritional requirements for
these and other nutrients. “And
while supplementing with a con
centrate formulated specifically
for use with corn may meet a hog’s
nutritional requirements, it does
not take advantage of wheat’s
higher levels of lysine and
phosphorus,” he suggests. To
make the most of this cost
effective grain, Dr. Willis, offers a
few tips on formulating a
nutritious, efficient, wheat-based
swine ration.
• When com is 90 percent or
more the per-bushel price of
wheat, producers should compare
the cost of wheat versus corn
based grind and mix rations to
make best value decisions.
• Wheat can be substituted for
100 percent of the com portion of
swine rations.
•To attain optimal feed ef
ficiency, producers should grind or
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roll wheat to a medium to coarse
particle size. Finely ground wheat
is powdery, and pigs may reduce
feed intake.
• Wheat should be carefully
screened for molds, especially in
rations for young pigs or breeder
herds.
• Although wheat contains more
lysine and available phosphorus
than com, it still falls far below
swine nutritional needs. It should
be supplemented with a con
centrate that is specially for
mulated to take advantage of
wheat’s. elevated levels of these
nutrients.
According to Willis, farmers
shouldn’t hesitate to feed wheat
when it’s economically sound. “A
properly supplemented wheat
based ration can be an excellent
alternative to corn-based rations,
especially during times of high
com prices like we are now ex
periencing,” he concludes.
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State park bill introduced
HARRISBURG - Senator Noah
Wenger, R-36, has introduced
legislation designating over 1,200
acres of land along White Clay
Creek, Chester County, as state
park lands.
The proposed park, made
possible by land donated to the
state by E. I. duPont de Nemours
and Company of Delaware, will be
used solely for “outdoor
recreational use for the citizens of
Pennsylvania and tourists,” ac
cording to Wenger. “Because of its
prime location, this land could
have been sold for a considerable
sum if placed on the commercial
market. I commend the duPont
Company for placing the long-term
public benefit above any short
term personal gain,” he added.
“In addition,” Wenger noted,
“an adjoining tract of land in
Delaware has also been designated
as state park land and, as a result,
a bi-state advisory board, under
the guidance of each state’s
Department of Environmental
Resources, will be established to
administer the park’s operations
and upkeep.”
“It is the intention of both states
to keep as much of this land as
possible in its current condition,”
the senator said. “It is not planned
as a big development park but
rather as a place for light cam
ping, picnicking, and a simple day
in the woods.”
In addition to introducing the
Senate resolution designating the
park, Wenger complimented the
Department of Environmental
Resources for its continued im
provement and upkeep to the
Commonwealth’s state park
system.
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LanCMtar Tanking, Saturday, July 7, 1984— PS
“With Pennsylvania having the
fourth largest state park system in
the United States,” Wenger con
cluded, “the addition of this park
our state’s 113th is further
evidence that DER plans to con
tinue its tradition of maintaining
quality state parks.”
Also speaking at the press
conference announcing the
planned park were Governor Dick
Thornburgh, Governor Pierre
duPont of Delaware, Edward
Jefferson of duPont and Company,
members of the Delaware
legislature, and Representative
Joseph Pitts, R-158.
Sweet named
CME, including agricultural
editor, acting director of public
affairs and advertising manager.
Sweet also has experience in the
livestock industry, serving for two
years as chief executive officer of
the Red Angus Association of
America.
He has also been general
manager of the “Angus Journal,”
the monthly publication of the
American Angus Association, and
editor and advertising manager of
“Cattle Guard” magazine, the
monthly publication of the
Colorado Cattleman’s Association.
A 1965 graduate of Shawnee
Mission, Ks., East High School,
Sweet received a bachelors degree
in technical journalism from
Kansas State University, and
served four years in the Navy.
LMA is the national trade
association for the marketing
sector of the livestock industry,
with some 1,300 member
businesses in the U.S. and Canada.
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(Continued from Page D 4)
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