Poor feed quality will likely play a role in industry productivity throughout the United States in the coming months. The Poultry Science Association warns nutritionists who rely on bushel weight as a prime factor for assessing quality may be missing an important part of the quality-evaluation picture.
“Adverse growing conditions and the potential for reduced bushel weight are one component of the corn quality equation. Unfortunately, determining a precise relationship between variability in bushel weight and the nutritional value of corn is problematic,” said Dr. Mike Lilburn, a poultry nutritionist in The Ohio State University’s Department of Animal Sciences.