Precision Feeding in Ecological Pig-Raising Systems with Maize Silage

Simple Summary Generally, ecological farming is regarded as an environmentally friendly production process with high costs. The plant fiber source (e.g., maize silage) has become a common practice to reduce the cost during the fattening period to gain more profit, which means a precision feed component is needed in ecological pig-raising systems (EPRS) for achieving the balance between environment and economic profit. This manuscript provided a suitable and easy-operated ratio of sun-dried maize silage added to the feed. Meanwhile, we tried to reveal the trends of the pig growth, environmental impacts, and economic profits with the sun-dried maize silage percentage and raising period increasing. Results showed that the best balance point between environmental impact and economic performance was 20% sun-dried maize silage added to the feed with a 360-day raising period. Ecological pig-raising systems (EPRSs) differ from conventional breeding systems, focusing more on environmental consequences, human health, and food safety during production processes. Thus productions from EPRSs have undergone significant development in China. Thus far, adding plant fiber sources (e.g., sweet potato leaves, maize or wheat straw, potato, alfalfa, and vinasse) to feed has become a common practice to reduce the cost during the fattening period. Under such a context, it is necessary to choose the precision EPRS diet components and fattening period with low environmental consequences and high economic benefits. This study set up a database via pig growth models to predict environmental and economic performance based on two trials with 0%, 10%, 40%, 60%, and 80% maize silage (dry weight) added to the feed. A continuous curve about plant fiber concentration was built through the generated database. Our results showed that, with increased plant fiber concentration, the environmental performance of the EPRSs exhibited an "increase-decrease-increase" trend, and the economic performance firstly increased and then decreased. The best maize silage added percentages of emergy yield ratio (EYR), environmental loading ratio (ELR), unit emergy value (UEV), and emergy sustainability index (ESI), and the economic profits were 19.0%, 34.3%, 24.6%, 19.9%, and 18.0%, respectively. Besides, the 19.9% sun-dried maize silage added to the feed with a 360-day raising period had the best balance for environmental impact and economic performance. At the balance point, the performances of EYR, ELR, UEV, ESI, and the economic profit were only 0.04%, 3.0%, 0.8%, 0.0%, and 0.1%, respectively, lower than their maximum values. Therefore, we recommended the feed added 20% sun-dried maize silage is suitable for practical pig raising systems.