Research from Alltech shows that replacing inorganic trace minerals with the same minerals in an organic form can provide huge benefits for swine producers.
Alltech’s Total Replacement Technology (TRT) includes feeding plant-based trace minerals like the company’s Bioplex product, according to Russell Gilliam, U.S. Swine Business Manager.
“So that animal is able to absorb that mineral better, which leads to us not having to feed as much, which reduces mineral interactions in the digestive tract,” said Gilliam. “But most importantly, it increases performance in those sows and it allows us to lower our cost of producing a weaned pig.”
Gilliam added that producers using TRT on average see a one-fourth of a pound increase in birth weights, translating to a gain of one and a half pounds at weaning. He said removing the inorganic mineral portion of the diet actually yielded a better response from the Bioplex minerals included in the diet, which means increased performance over all. Alltech’s research includes studies over the entire life of sows looking at total lifetime performance.