The University of Illinois, in collaboration with Polytechnical University of Madrid in Spain, is organizing an International Feed Ingredient Course during the last week of June.

"The course will provide an extensive overview of ingredients that are commonly used in the global feed industry," said Hans H. Stein, professor in the University of Illinois department of animal sciences and a co-organizer of the course.

"Characterization of feed ingredients will include chemical composition, anti-nutritional factors, digestibility of nutrients and energy and recommended inclusion rates in diets for pigs and poultry," Stein added.

The course will be held June 25-29 on the campus of Polytechnical University of Madrid, which is located in the center of Madrid. The target audience is feed industry professionals, poultry and swine integrators and individuals working in academia. Graduate students working in nutrition are also welcome and will be admitted for free.

Topics that will be discussed at the course include grain and grain co-products; oilseeds, oilseed meals and other oilseed co-products; pulse crops; fats and oils; animal proteins; mineral feeds, and feed technology.

The main speakers at the event will be Stein, Dr. Gonzalo G. Mateos from Polytechnical University, Dr. C. Martin Nyachoti from the University of Manitoba and Dr. Rommel C. Sulabo from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.

"This is truly an international course," Stein said. "In addition to the main speakers, we will also bring in experts from Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Colombia to address specific aspects of feed ingredient evaluation that are within their area of expertise."

Mateos added, "There is an increasing need in the global feed industry for accurate and updated information related to utilization of feed ingredients. With margins in pig and poultry production being squeezed and with increased pressure from the public in terms of avoiding pollution of the external environment from animal production, reducing the usage of antibiotics in animal production and increasing animal welfare, there is an increased need to be able to utilize each feed ingredients in the most optimal way.

“It is, therefore, imperative that feed formulators be able to combine available ingredients into diets that meet the nutritional requirements of the animals and optimize animal health. The International Feed Ingredient Course will provide participants the information needed to utilize feed ingredients in diet formulation most efficiently."

The main sponsors of the event include the University of Illinois, the Polytechnical University in Madrid, the U.S. Soybean Export Council and the Spanish feed organization FEDNA. Other sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting the course organizers.

Stein suggested not waiting too long to register, because "we have limited capacity for participation, and we expect the course to be filled up quickly."

More information about the course, including payment and registration information, is available at http://go.illinois.edu/feedingredients2018.