New vitamin shows returns on sow efficiency and longevity

by | Jan 24, 2018 | 5 Ag Stories, News

An animal nutrition group helps producers increase sow efficiency while improving gut health.

Jeremiah Nemechek, Ph. D, works as senior, technical support manager for DSM Nutritional Products. Nemechek talks about a new vitamin metaboli, introduced within the United States pork industry, at the 2018 Iowa Pork Congress.

?We recently got approval to use Hy-D? in the U.S.,? Nemechek said. ?Traditionally, Vitamin D3 has been the only form of Vitamin D we have been able to supplement to animals. Now that we have this approved, it is essentially a more efficient and effective way of provide pigs a critical nutrient.?

In offering Hy-D?, DSM aims to assist swine in digestion. Nemechek says improved digestion helps eliminate stress and ultimately leads to a healthier, faster growing, productive animal.

?In modern swine production, there are plenty of stresses these pigs are exposed too. The liver is one organ that often gets stressed, depending on what challenges animals are dealing with,? Nemechek said. ?Traditionally, Vitamin D3 would be supplemented to the animals, processed into the liver and turned into 25-hydroxy D3. So, the liver has to do a little bit of work. With Hy-D?, we are bypassing the liver and directly supplementing the stored, circulating form of Vitamin D. By doing that, we can take a little stress off those animals.?

Nemechek says DSM has received an incredible amount of positive feedback regarding Hy-D?.

?Where we?re spending most of our focus now is sow longevity,? Nemechek said. ?We invest in these sows heavily and ask a lot out of them in terms of the number of piglets they?re producing and the amount of milk they?re required to produce. Hy-D? is one of the components that helps these sows stay prolific and in the herd longer. We?re investing in that sow, helping her be more productive and that?s where producers see the value.?