AMES, Iowa – A recent publication on contingency planning regarding feed now has an accompanying calculator and information sheet to assist producers in preparing for the unexpected. The publication IPIC 208A was first available on the ISU Extension store in November 2024 and now references the new items.

Iowa State University extension swine specialist Mark Storlie who authored the publication, said the calculator provides a hands-on opportunity to estimate pen feed allocations.

“Unexpected incidents can derail your plan to have a timely feed supply,” he said. “While some incidents are unforeseeable, all events can be minimized through contingency planning and using this calculator is one way to be prepared."

Producers can use the Excel calculator to input their data, and see how many days of on-hand feed is available based on the new numbers. The information sheet guides the user in using the calculator.

The new items were developed by Dr. Nick Gabler and Kayla Miller of Iowa State University, and are available at no charge from the IPIC website's nutrition page.

This article was written by IPIC student communications assistant Lauren Beyer.

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IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Veterinary Medicine at ISU. Its mission is to promote efficient pork production technologies in Iowa, maintain Iowa's pork industry leadership and strengthen rural development efforts. IPIC focuses its efforts on programs that are integral and complementary to ISU Extension and Outreach. Through IPIC, Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to make their operations more efficient and profitable.