Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. July 2025
    2. June 2025
    3. 2025 Innovation supplement
    4. May 2025
    5. April 2025
    6. March 2025
    7. 2025 Buildings supplement
    8. February 2025
    9. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    10. January 2025
    11. December 2024
    12. November 2024
    13. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    14. October 2024
    15. September 2024
    16. August 2024
    17. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    18. July 2024
    19. June 2024
    20. 2024 Innovation supplement
    21. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    22. May 2024
    23. April 2024
    24. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    25. March 2024
    26. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    27. February 2024
    28. January 2024
    29. December 2023
    30. November 2023
    31. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    32. October 2023
    33. September 2023
    34. Health Supplement
    Featured

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025
    Recent

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025

    June 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    June 4, 2025

    2025 Innovation supplement now available

    June 4, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
John Gadds Pig Pen

The benefit of Farm Specific Diets

John GaddBy John GaddJanuary 2, 20143 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

The Farm Specific Diet (FSD) concept is based on the truism that every pig farm is different, writes John Gadd. Moreover even on the same farm things can change affecting performance of the growing/finishing pig every three months or so.

Matching nutrient specs to each farm’s circumstances must be a better way of purchasing feeds than buying off a price list, but how is it done? If the feed manufacturer receives some easily measured growth-rate figures from their customer’s office records every few weeks – no need to go out and weigh things – then a diet more closely attuned to the actual farm circumstances can be made – rather than buying a standard ration that must always be a compromise to suit the majority.

Results after switching to FSD diets have shown a increase in MTF (saleable Meat from each Tonne of Food fed) averaging 10kg (range 7 to 19 kg), even after the feed manufacturer’s increased costs passed on to the customer are deducted. Not bad for a little more effort! That’s equivalent to £17 off a tonne of growout feed.

Of course, this approach raises a couple of questions:

1. Will the move to FSD mean the end of the feed salesperson?

Eventually, yes. With FSD the feed is not sold on price; the price – high or low – will always be the right one for the pigs for which the feed is intended. Price will only occur as a sales advantage if one manufacturer can operate a FSD system just as effectively as the opposition, but more economically.

Discussions with three go-ahead feed compounders suggest that as more of their customers switch to FSD, then the expensive sales and marketing force can be gradually reduced, with perhaps a quarter of them retrained as data collectors/supervisors. One firm has done some estimates on what this might save them and thinks it could reduce selling costs by a third.

2. The Future. Will FSD combined with Computerised Wet Feeding (CWF) simplify the feed manufacturer’s problems?

Of course. CWF, already well-established on pig farms (one manufacturer has already installed over 5000 units world-wide), lends itself to the regular alteration of the nutrient balance demanded by the FSD concept, as just by pressing buttons on the farmer`s console the formulation can be changed in seconds.

This means that the farmer can make the changes on instruction from the nutritionist’s office, and the feed compounder doesn’t have to do anything. I foresee the time when the mill need only manufacture a few basal diets that can be adjusted to meet the needs of the latest individual FSD formulations advised by the mill’s nutritionist. This will save the feed mill large sums of money by reducing manufacturing costs through fewer and longer production runs, and less warehousing.

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticlePeter Crichton’s commentary for December 27, 2013
Next Article Peter Crichton’s commentary for January 3, 2014
John Gadd

Read Similar Stories

How to measure light

August 4, 2016

Outdoor sows and bright spring sunshine

August 2, 2016

The benefits of bandwidth piggery ventilation

July 7, 2016
Latest News

ABN kicks off pioneering long-term mill project

July 11, 2025

Red Tractor to press ahead with new tiers for outdoor pig producers

July 10, 2025

Last chance to enter or nominate for 2025 National Pig Awards

July 10, 2025
Sponsored Content

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024

Tackle the root cause of PWD with free diagnostic tests

March 1, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Senior-Level Pig Stockperson – Ref 1760 Hampshire

    • Hampshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1759 North Yorkshire

    • North Yorkshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1758 Norfolk

    • Norfolk
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.