November - December 2014

MilloGram
Wenger’s Feed Mill, Inc.
Our Mission: Providing Quality Feed for Quality Food
70
Years
F. Barry Shaw
Seventy years ago, on October 2, 1944, Mel Wenger officially
purchased the J.W. Wolgemuth Feed Mill in Rheems, which
became the foundation for what we today know as Wenger
Feeds, or officially, Wenger’s Feed Mill, Inc.
In the early 1970s, Purina took our dealership away. At that
time, 96% of what we were producing and selling was our
own MW feeds. Without Purina’s support, we decided to go
100% to commercial layer and pullet feeds.
We purchased the Wolgemuth Feed Mill in Florin in 1987,
which helped get us into swine and all types of poultry feed.
One might say “the rest is history.” Our customers over the
past 20, 30, 40 years continue to grow, which has allowed us
the opportunity to grow. But there is a lot more to the Wenger
story than just tons. The Wenger organization has been built
on people—from the 23 people, when I joined the company in
the late 60s, to the 300 team members we have today. Through
the years, each and every team member has played a critical
role in making Wenger Feeds what it is today. Lester Miller,
Emory Miller, Charlie Goodling, Nelson Hoffer, Charlie Watts,
and many others showed us what it takes to build a successful
company. Individuals have come and gone, but our turnover
We are always looking for ways to
rate runs well below the industry average.
enhance our vision to be the Go To
We all know this is not the end of the story. There are
Company!
many opportunities for continued growth as individuals and
For the first ten years, the mill produced 2,000 – 3,000 tons as a company. That is why we are never satisfied. We are
per year. It had a Purina dealership and sold just about every always looking for ways to enhance our vision to be the Go
kind of feed you could think of—from dairy, swine, poultry, To Company!
and horse feed to monkey chow and rat chow.
The Employer of Choice; the Supplier of Choice; the CusMel had the foresight to set in motion an organization that tomer of Choice.
could grow into a major supplier of nutritional solutions for
Thank you for the
the poultry and swine industry. This started when he built six opportunity to serve
12,000 hen layer houses—an all cart-fed and hand-gathered you over the past 70
operation. It was said at the time that Mel would ruin the egg years. We look forward
Introducing AminoMax®
industry in Lancaster County. (Obviously, that never happened). to serving you the next
Organic Feeds at Shippensburg
At this point, the company started to grow. We built our first 70 years.
2014 Harvest
computerized feed mill in 1969 and 1970 and by then had three
Research: Additives for ABF Broilers
10-ton bulk feed trucks to service our growing customer base.
In This Issue:
2
Organic Feeds Now Available at
Shippensburg Mill
Introducing
AminoMax®
As part of our Ingredient Division, Wenger
Feeds has begun marketing a new dairyfocused ingredient called AminoMax®.
This unique product is produced in
upstate New York and is a specific combination of further processed canola
meal and soybean meal. The blend of
canola and soy are optimized to provide
the best value of lysine and methionine
for milk production. The ingredients go
through a proprietary process to improve
rumen bypass and digestibility properties.
Manufacturing is highly controlled with
over 400 checkpoint sensors assuring
quality and consistency. AminoMax® is
also 100% animal protein free. Wenger
Feeds is the AminoMax® distributor for
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and
West Virginia. Contact us for more information, or visit: www.wengerfeeds.com/
aminomax.html.
Wenger Feeds is pleased to announce well as provide for future growth,” noted
the completion of an expansion project Geoff Finch, President and Chief Operatat the Shippensburg Mill that will allow ing Officer.
the facility to make organic feeds. The
In order to prepare the Shippensburg
change created four new manufacturing Mill to make organic feeds, the compositions and two new driving positions pany invested in additional equipment
at this location.
and added one shift creating openings
Organic feeds were previously only for new team members. The additional
available at the company’s Hempfield Mill equipment and personnel will allow
in Lancaster, PA. “We’ve seen tremendous the facility to increase manufacturing
customer interest in organic feeds. The capability by a third. The mill was also
addition of this location will allow us to certified by an outside auditor to ensure
better serve our existing customers as adherence to organic standards.
SUSTAINABILITY
Wenger Feeds believes in meeting today’s needs, with an emphasis on people,
planet, and prosperity, for company
growth without compromising future
generation’s needs.
As part of the company’s Sustainability
Initiative, Wenger Feeds donated funds to
plant wildflowers in a natural meadow at
the new Sustainability Park located at 306
Doe Run Road in Penn Township.
The four-acre park was developed
with the cooperation of Penn Township officials, Northwestern Lancaster
County Authority (the public water and
sewer provider throughout parts of Penn
Township) and Kreider Farms. The land
was purchased by the authority and
was formerly part of Kreider Farms. It
provides access to a high-volume water
well, which has been transformed into
an authority water treatment plant to
provide safe, high-quality drinking water
for the community. The park surrounds
the facility.
A quarter-mile walking trail loop is the
centerpiece of the park. It passes through
meadows, rain gardens, and alongside
a wooded riparian buffer. Signs explain
numerous ways the environment is being protected at the site and the adjacent
property owned by Kreider’s and include
tips for how individuals can protect the
environment in their own backyard.
3
2014
Harvest
Jon Slothour, Ingredient Division Chief Operating Officer
The 2014 US corn and soybean harvest is slowly moving its way
to completion. This year has been almost perfect in respect
to growing conditions as the summer was cooler and wetter
than previous years. Along with the ideal growing conditions,
we also are starting to see the impact that genetics are having
on yield numbers. The combination has brought about one of
the biggest corn and soybean crops in history.
The main issue facing the market right now is how quickly
we get through harvest as wetter weather is prohibiting farmers
from getting into the fields, and in certain parts of the country,
such as Pennsylvania, cooler temperatures have slowed down
the drying process. Both crops are behind the average for this
time of the year. As of October 14, the corn harvest was about
17% completed versus an average of 32% and soybeans were
20% versus an average of 35%. A late harvest has delayed the
typical reduction in basis as grain comes to market, and we
should see some weakness for a short period of time (end of
October/beginning of November) followed by typical seasonal
upward trends.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) October report lowered (from September report) corn harvested
acres slightly (83.8 -> 83.1 million acres) and increased yield
(171.7 -> 174.2 bushels per acre) giving production of 14.475
billion bushels. A slight increase in feed demand still gives us
a 2.08 billion bushel carryout, the largest since 2004/05, when
we saw a 2.113 billion bushel carryout. Yield estimates coming
out of the field are showing potentially higher numbers than
what USDA is reporting, but there still is some confusion over
Farm Service Agency (FSA) acres, which may indicate further
lowering of acreage. Regardless, the crop should set a new
record. Locally, USDA’s PA corn yield estimate is a record as
well being projected at 154 bushels per acre with production
over 150 million bushels. With such a large crop, bin storage
will be filled along with alternative storage methods.
USDA’s report on soybeans is similar to corn with record
yield estimates of 47.1 bushels per acre and production of
3.927 billion bushels. With such a large crop, we see carryout
drastically improving from 92 million bushels in 2013/14 to 450
million bushels in 2014/15. Coinciding with a large US crop is
the potential for another record crop in South America. World
carryout supplies will move from 66.49 million metric tons to
over 90 million metric tons. While we still need to see that
crop develop and there are large US export figures already on
the books in the near term, it appears that, long term, the soy
complex should be considerably weaker.
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR PA
REAP TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
Pennsylvania farmers who want to use best management practices (BMPs) or purchase on-farm conservation equipment can
now apply for tax credits through the Resource Enhancement
and Protection (REAP) program.
The program, administered by the State Conservation Commission, gives agriculture producers an incentive to purchase
conservation equipment and materials to better protect the
environment.
The program can benefit farmers, landowners, and local
businesses. Farmers can earn tax credits by installing conservation BMPs or by purchasing no-till equipment. Out-of-pocket
expenses are eligible. A farmer can fund a project through another program and then receive credits for a percentage of the
rest of his expenses through REAP. REAP is the only program
that helps farmers purchase no-till equipment.
Landowners can participate by installing riparian buffers
or other stream restoration practices on their property. Businesses, as well as other entities, can earn credits by sponsoring
a farmer’s project. The sponsor provides funding to the farmer
for the project and then receives the tax credits upon completion of the project.
Eligible applicants may receive between 50% and 75% of
project costs as state tax credits for up to $150,000 per agricultural operation. The amount of tax credit available to a
recipient is dependent on the type of BMP implemented. To
learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s
web site: http://bit.ly/1wg1bxk
4
Research Update on Feed Additives for Antibiotic-Free
Broiler
Production
Dr. Kevin Herkelman, Nutrition Services Manager
The results of research on feed additives for Antibiotic-Free
(ABF) broiler production were presented last year (MilloGram,
Vol. 26, No. 5). The purpose of this article is to provide an
update on subsequent research conducted on feed additives
for ABF broiler production.
There are several types of products available to help producers meet production and profitability goals without the use
of feed-grade antibiotics. These products include direct-fed
microbials (DFM), prebiotics, essential oils, and enzymes. A
combination of these different feed additive types are used in
Wenger Feed’s ABF broiler programs.
The research previously reported was conducted in the
Wenger Feed’s Broiler Research House to evaluate the effect
of additives on the performance of broilers fed an ABF feed
program. The results of this experiment (Table 1) demonstrate
the benefits of different feed additive combinations in ABF
broiler feed programs on growth rate and feed conversion.
No feed additives were included in the finisher phase, so the
potential benefit of using feed additives during this phase
could not be evaluated.
Table 1. Effect of Feed Additives on ABF Broiler Performancea
Treatment:
1
2
were also added in the finisher phase.
No benefit of including the additives in the finisher phase
was apparent on overall performance (Table 2). Numerically,
growth rate and feed conversion improved during the finisher
period when feed additives were used, but the difference was
not statistically significant (P > 0.10). This lack of response on
overall performance may have been associated with timing of
typical health challenges, which typically occur in the starter
and grower phases. In fact, livability during the finisher period
was greater than 99.5% suggesting no real challenges during
this period.
Table 2. Effect of Using Feed Additives in the Finisher Period on ABF Broiler
Performancea
Treatment:
None
Prebiotic 1/Essential
Oil 1
Prebiotic 2/Essential
Oil 1
Grower Additives:
None
Prebiotic 1/DFM
Prebiotic 1/Essential
Oil 2
Finisher Additives:
None
None
None
Final Weight, lb
5.25
5.36
5.36
Feed Conversion
1.91
1.91
1.88
Livability, %
93.1
91.4
93.3
Breast Meat Yield, %
20.8
20.7
20.8
Experiment SCAF 1102
a
Subsequently, an experiment was conducted to evaluate
the potential benefit of including feed additives in the finisher
phase. In this experiment, 36,000 broilers (5 pens of 7,200
birds/pen) were housed in the Wenger Feed’s Broiler Research
House and fed one of two dietary treatments. Treatment 1 was
a feeding program containing a DFM and prebiotic in the starter
phase, a plant extract and a prebiotic in the grower phase, and
no additives in the finisher phase. Treatment 2 was the same
as Treatment 1, except the additives used in the grower phase
2
DFM and Prebiotic
DFM and Prebiotic
Grower Additives:
Prebiotic + Plant
Extract
Prebiotic + Plant
Extract
Finisher Additives:
-
Prebiotic + Plant
Extract
P-Valueb
Overall
3
Starter Additives:
1
Starter Additives:
Final Weight, lb
4.74
4.71
0.69
Daily Gain, lb
0.140
0.139
0.69
Feed Conversion
1.574
1.574
0.99
Livability, %
97.47
97.30
0.62
Daily Gain, lb
0.218
0.232
0.58
Feed Conversion
2.25
2.14
0.50
Livability, %
99.67
99.69
0.34
Finisher Period Only
Experiment SCAF 1105
Means in a row without a common superscript are different (P < 0.05).
a
b
A third experiment was conducted at the Penn State Poultry
Unit to compare different additive combinations in ABF broiler
programs and to evaluate the potential benefit of adding Yucca
schidigera and Quillaja saponaria to ABF broiler feed programs.
Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria contain saponins and
polyphenolics, which demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties. Previous research has indicated the addition of both Yucca
schidigera + Quillaja saponaria can improve feed conversion.
In this experiment, 1,728 day-old broilers were assigned to
one of four dietary treatments. Treatment 1 was a standard
ABF broiler feed program containing a prebiotic and DFM in
the starter and grower period (PB1+DFM1). Treatment 2 was
5
a standard ABF broiler feed program containing a different
prebiotic and DFM combination (PB2+DFM2). Treatment 3
was the same as Treatment 1 with the addition of a product
containing a combination of Yucca schidigera and Quillaja
saponaria (PB1+DFM1+YQ). Treatment 4 was the same as Treatment 2 with the addition of the YQ (PB2+DFM2+YQ). Birds
were housed 36 birds per pen and processed at 42 days of age.
Growth rate, feed conversion and livability (Table 3) were
not different between treatments (P > 0.05). However, breast
meat yield was greater (P < 0.05) for birds fed diets containing
PB1 + DFM1 compared to diets containing PB2 + DFM2. The
YQ combination had no effect on bird performance.
with or without YQ product fed during the starter and grower
phase only or throughout the entire feeding program.
1,728 one-day-old broilers were assigned to one of four dietary treatments. Treatment 1 was a standard ABF broiler feed
program containing a DFM and prebiotic in the starter and
grower period (P+D). Treatment 2 was the same as Treatment
1 with the addition of a product containing a combination of
Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria (P+D+YQ). Treatment
3 was the same as Treatment 1 but fed the entire feeding period.
Treatment 4 was the same as Treatment 2 but fed the entire
feeding period. Birds were housed 36 birds per pen and were
processed at 42 days of age.
The results of this experiment are presented in Table
Table 3. Effect of Different Feed Additives Combinations on ABF Broiler Performancea
4. There were no differences (P>0.05) in final body
Treatment:
1
2
3
4
P-Value
weight, feed conversion, or livability between treatStarter Additives:
PB1+DFM1 PB2+DFM2 PB1+DFM1+YQ PB2+DFM2+YQ
ments. The addition of the feed additives in the finisher
Grower Additives:
PB1+DFM1 PB2+DFM2 PB1+DFM1+YQ PB2+DFM2+YQ
period
(Treatments 3 and 4) provided no improvement
Finisher Additives:
None
None
None
None
in bird performance (P>0.05).
Final Weight, lb
5.78
5.76
5.75
5.73
0.90
Contact your Account Leader for more information.
Feed Conversion
1.855
1.846
1.849
1.837
0.93
Livability, %
92.13
90.74
92.13
91.90
0.99
Breast Meat Yield, %
27.57a
27.70b
27.93a
27.41b
0.01
Experiment B1301
Means within a row without a common superscript are different (P < 0.05).
a
b
Again, in this experiment, no feed additives were used in
the finisher period. A fourth experiment was then conducted
at the Penn State Poultry Unit to evaluate the benefit of feeding an ABF broiler program with a DFM/prebiotic combination
Table 4. Effect of Feed Additive Combinations on ABF Broiler Performancea
Treatment:
1
2
3
4
Starter Additives:
D+P
D+P+YQ
D+P
D+P+YQ
Grower Additives:
D+P
D+P+YQ
D+P
D+P+YQ
Finisher Additives:
-
-
D+P
D+P+YQ
Final Weight, lb
6.20
6.19
6.18
6.18
0.99
Feed Conversion
1.759
1.742
1.779
1.751
0.48
Livability, %
89.82
93.52
92.12
94.44
0.88
Breast Meat Yield, %
27.96
27.68
27.71
27.97
0.93
Experiment B1303
Means within a row without a common superscript are different (P < 0.05).
a
b
P-Value
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARRISBURG PA
PERMIT NO. 533
Wenger’s Feed Mill, Inc.
101 W. Harrisburg Ave.
P.O. Box 26
Rheems, PA 17570
MilloGram
In This Issue:
Introducing AminoMax®
Organic Feeds at Shippensburg
2014 Harvest
REAP Program
Research: Additives for ABF Broilers
MilloGram
Vol. 27, No. 6
November - December 2014
The MilloGram is published six times a year for our
customers, employees, neighbors, and friends by
Wenger Feeds, 1-800-692-6008
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For every size flock or herd
www.wengerfeeds.com
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WENGER INFO
 GRAIN RECEIVING
CAMERAS
If you haul corn
or soybeans
to the Rheems
Mill or corn to the Mount
Joy Mill, check our grain
receiving cameras. Use the
icon on the home page of
wengerfeeds.com or click
on “Grain Receiving” under
the Services tab.
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your Millogram by e-mail.
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