1. Feed cost decisions require a full-cycle view

The European Commission’s 2026 short-term outlook identifies energy costs, animal disease and trade tensions as sources of uncertainty for input costs and producer margins. Feed remains one of the most important costs to manage for swine businesses worldwide. However, a lower feed price per tonne can increase total production cost if growth slows, days to market increase, mortality losses rise or sow performance declines. The more relevant measure is feed and total production cost per marketable pig, not formula price alone.

On the morning of October 22, 2026, the 15th Leman China Swine Conference will examine feed management in a low-margin market. Sessions will cover upcycling food loss and waste as animal feed, nutrition strategies for sow reproduction, nutrient partitioning in grower-finisher pigs, the formulation and economics of low-protein diets, and feed-cost control from weaning to finish. Bringing these topics into one forum allows delegates to compare how nutrition decisions affect cost and output across the production cycle.

Register now: https://s.31url.cn/rl9CH4Q9

2. Nutrition decisions must be evaluated across production stages

The nutrition programme extends beyond grower-finisher pigs. On October 22, sessions will cover artificial intelligence in precision sow nutrition and feeding practices in multi-storey intelligent production systems. On October 23, the programme will move to late-gestation diets and phase feeding during gestation and lactation. On October 24, a keynote will connect late-gestation nutrition with sow longevity, productivity and piglet performance. For integrated breeding-to-finishing businesses, this structure helps determine whether an intervention improves total-system performance or simply shifts cost to another production stage.

Low-protein diets show why a full-cycle evaluation matters. Reducing crude protein may lower ingredient cost and nitrogen output, but the economic result depends on amino-acid balance, ingredient quality, herd health and production stage. A formula-cost comparison can miss changes in feed intake, average daily gain, feed conversion, mortality losses and carcass value. At the conference, delegates can evaluate nutrition recommendations within a complete production and cost model instead of assessing each formula in isolation.

3. Bring a cost model from your own operation

International delegates can prepare a one-page cost profile before travelling to Zhengzhou: major ingredient prices, feed use by production stage, feed cost per unit of gain, mortality losses and days to market. During the sessions, ask not only how much an intervention can save, but under which ingredient system, health status and management conditions the result was achieved. Apply those assumptions to your own data before deciding whether a controlled farm trial is justified.

The 15th Leman China Swine Conference will take place in Zhengzhou, China, from October 22 to 24, 2026. Register to compare nutrition and production strategies across the full cycle and identify feed-cost changes that can improve the economics of each marketable pig.

Register now: https://s.31url.cn/rl9CH4Q9

Click here to view the detailed conference agenda：https://www.lemanchina.com/view_5743.html