Cargill’s Provimi introduces Nurture, a new, age-based feeding program and technologies for pigs to support performance and livability
With today’s market prices, disease pressures and global demand for pork, swine producers are feeling the need more than ever to increase the number of pigs that successfully make it to market.
As a leader in young animal nutrition, Provimi, a Cargill business, has developed a new way of looking at nutrition to help producers get more healthy, live pigs through the nursery phase, setting them up for success all the way to market. Based on additional findings about the connection between diet and age, the Nurture™ program and accompanying technologies provide a new, research-based way of looking at nutrition for producers struggling with or looking to improve young pig performance.
The Need for Nurture
“There have been immense changes over the past decade in the swine industry, including the current issues we are seeing due to African Swine Fever (ASF) making its way to Asia,” said Mark Hulsebus, swine commercial director for Cargill’s Provimi business in North America. “Critical issues such as a lack of skilled labor, combined with other volatile industry factors place pressure on producers, making every pig more valuable.”
With wean-to-finish death loss rates often reaching up to 10%1, there is an urgent need for supporting young pig development and improving livability. This is especially true when 1% mortality costs approximately $1.00 per pig placed.
The Science of Nurture
The philosophy behind the Nurture program and technologies brings an improved approach to feeding pigs based on age.
“A young pig’s digestive capability drastically changes between seven and 35 days of age,” said Matthew Ritter, PhD, swine technical director for Cargill’s Provimi business in North America. “Through industry-leading nursery trials at our global and local research facilities, our teams found new ways to design diets to match the pig’s changing needs. Weaning age is a huge factor in making these decisions.”
By feeding young pigs the right nutrients at the right time, the Nurture program helps ensure consistent performance and sets young pigs up for future success throughout the grow-finish period. In addition to feeding pigs the right nutrients at the right time, the program’s featured technologies, LipoTec™ and Promote® AOX™ SD, have been shown to support healthy growth and optimized profitability.
Getting Nurture to Your Operation
The nursery phase can be a key indicator of a producer’s success. When the bottom line is dependent on consistent performance and healthy pigs, producers can rely on the Provimi Nurture program to help start pigs off right and set them up for success to market.
The Provimi Nurture program is available as a complete feed with options for bases and pacs. Additional customized offerings, including Nurture technologies, are also available. For pig flows facing additional health challenges, the program also offers Nurture Boost, which includes additional technologies to deliver nutrition for young pigs needing extra support.
For more information about our Nurture program, please visit provimiUS.com/nurtureswine or contact your Provimi representative today.
About Cargill
Cargill’s 160,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.
We combine 153 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
About Provimi
Provimi is a trusted advisor in animal nutrition and technology. Backed by the strength of Cargill, Provimi partners with animal producers and feed manufacturers to provide custom, leading-edge nutrition solutions in the dairy, beef, pork, and poultry industries. Please visit provimiUS.com to learn more.
NURTURE is a trademark of CAN Technologies, Inc.
References:
1 National Pork Board (NPB). 2018. Industry benchmarks for swine productivity. Available: https://www.pork.org/facts/stats/industry-benchmarks/ Accessed December 4, 2018.
