Pulse crops like lentils, field peas and faba beans may be a cheaper option for swine feed. These ingredients are highly available in Canada and though often used for human consumption, when they are downgraded they could be a cheap diet replacement for pigs, but more research needs to be done on the nutritional value. Starch in pulse crops is different than cereal crops and is digested a lot slower in pigs, providing less energy. Field peas have better starch digestion than faba beans, and heat and steam may improve starch digestibility. Pulse crops are an option to consider when soybean meal increases in price.
Feed Research Has Finger on the Pulses (full article)
