The seed innovation company has released new data from its latest broiler feeding trials. It partnered with Tyson Foods and an unnamed poultry integrator to conduct the studies, supporting its decision to prioritize animal nutrition since October 2023.
It said the latest findings align with its initial broiler feeding study, published in May 2024.
Benson Hill said the Tyson study findings, consistent with those released in May 2024, show its Ultra-High Protein, Low Oligosaccharide (UHP-LO) soybean meal (SBM) is a high-performance, cost-effective alternative to conventional SBM in poultry nutrition.
The feeding trial for Tyson involved more than 800 broilers in a controlled research environment. All diets were formulated to match standard nutrient requirements.
Outlining the findings of that collaborative study, Benson Hill confirmed its SMB delivered cost savings for poultry producers, reducing feed costs by up to $0.20 per bird when formulating for cost advantage.
The higher crude protein levels saw a reduction in the need for additional protein and fat in feed.
“When formulated for cost advantages, UHP-LO SBM significantly lowered feed costs by increasing protein and higher metabolizable energy. Consequently, UHP-LO SBM gives poultry producers the opportunity to decrease the amount of SBM and fat added to the diet while keeping the necessary protein and energy levels.”
Beyond economic benefits, the company noted that Tyson’s 42-day UHP-LO trial demonstrated consistent animal performance. Broilers fed UHP-LO SBM achieved equivalent final body weights, FCR, and carcass traits compared to those fed conventional SBM.
Additionally, Benson Hill reported that a separate commercial feeding trial with a poultry integrator further validated the benefits of its UHP-LO SBM.
The six-week study showed that broilers fed a diet containing UHP-LO SBM exhibited substantial improvements in growth and feed conversion.
Specifically, birds on this diet achieved a 5.4% hike in body weight and a 3.2% improvement in FCR compared to those led conventional SBM, it added.
Novel traits
Kurt Long, vice president at Benson Hill, told this site in May last year that the company’s soybean breeders have focused on leveraging the natural genetic diversity of beans to develop a high-protein variety class that also contain quality traits specific to feed applications.
In the UHP-LO soybean meal, protein is concentrated up front in the bean - this results in an improved vegetable-based diet for nutritionists and feed formulators, he explained.
“Concentrating protein in the soybean creates a soybean meal that is more sustainable. We get more protein per pound of meal used, resulting in less impact - and fewer resources used - per unit of protein.
“In addition to our protein advantage, this variety class also has lower levels of oligosaccharides, which are complex carbohydrates that most animals cannot digest. By replacing these complex carbohydrates with more digestible sugars, like sucrose, nutritionists can get more calories from the meal, which supports cost reduction efforts,” Long said.
Turkey trials
Benson Hill said it plans to expand its presence in the feed market, broadening its soybean portfolio to more than 35 varieties for the 2025 crop year. The St Louis Missouri firm also confirmed that additional feeding studies in turkeys, representing 4 million acres of soy, are planned in the first quarter of 2025.
