[Mr. Lucky]

For what it's worth, the fact that you brag about selling pigs "at auction" indicates that you were in 4H as a child and haven't been involved in commercial farming since.

Be that as it may, (and I don't raise swine commercially, by the way, I raise cattle) feeding a diet too high in carbohydrates vis-a-vis protein and minerals causes excessive, and lower quality fat. When I was a kid, and maybe when you were, lard was considered a frairly valuable product of a swine carcass. Not so much anymore.

When the energy requirement of a hog is met primarily by corn, soybean meal is added to the ration as a supplemental protein source. The distillers spent grain can replace a part of the corn ration as well as the meal ration.

[allmendream]

No, pigs are still sold at auction quite apart from 4H. My little sisters were 4H. I never was. I was just up talking to the father of my little sisters, who still has over 100 head of pigs - and he was complaining about his price per pound at auction being so low. That was Christmas of this year.

So your accuracy as to what I said “indicates” is as off base as the idea that pig fat is no longer a valuable product of a swine carcass. Lard is still used. Pig fat is still sold. Pigs are sold at auction by the pound. Pigs need a high carb diet to attain the full weight potential that they have, high fat, high protein also.

A pig farmer doesn't need to worry about his pigs eating a high fat high carb diet, thus the lack of commercially available pig feed advertising their low fat and low carb composition.

Pigs don't need to diet, they need to gain as much weight as possible, as cheaply as possible, in as little time as possible.

High carbs help that as much as carbo-loading helps an athlete. Fuel for the fire.