Three trials, involving 300 pigs were conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding 70 to 130% of the NRC recommended Ca/P levels from weaning to market weight on the relationships between measures of Ca/P status of postweaning swine, and to derive response surfaces relating diet and time effects to observed performance and bone characteristics. Pigs were slaughtered every 4 weeks following the start of the trials to obtain third and fourth metacarpals and metatarsals. Asymptotic response surfaces, relating the effects of dietary Ca/P level and time on test to the observed performance or bone characteristics were derived. The estimated lack of fit was significant for many criteria, although the magnitude of difference in fit appeared to be very small; therefore, the asymptotic response surfaces were found to reflect well the response of performance and bone criteria to dietary Ca/P levels of 70 to 130% of NRC recommendations over the period from weaning to market. The Ca/P level associated with 95 and 98% of maximum bone length, wet weight, radius and dry fat- free ash percentage of bones appeared to be the same or lower than that required to maximize body weight, average daily gain and feed intake; the performance criteria reached near maximum for Ca/P levels approximating the NRC recommendations. Bone wall thickness, cross—sectional area, bending and shear force, bending and shear stress, extracted weight of bone, and dry fat-free ash weight appeared to require higher Ca/P levels than recommended by NRC to reach 95 or 98% of maximum. Seventy-five pigs were biopsied at 4 week intervals, and a biopsy sample was also taken from 225 pigs at slaughter, to evaluate a bone biopsy procedure for use as a live-animal sampling method in swine nutrition studies. Biopsy cores from the live and the slaughter pigs were similar, indicating that repeated sampling of the live animal did not significantly alter the composition of the biopsy core. Biopsy core measures were significantly correlated with intact third and fourth metacarpal and metatarsal bone measures. Comparisons of the least squares means and standard errors of biopsy core and bone dry fat-free ash percentage indicated that the biopsy procedure may be more useful when NRC recommended or higher Ca/P levels are fed. There was strong indications, however, that use of the biopsy procedure warrants further consideration. / Ph. D.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent Amanor-Boadu / Cargill Animal Nutrition is a global manufacturer and distributor of animal nutrition products. They operate in the United States through 6 separately managed regions that control a number of facilities throughout the entire United States. Cargill Animal Nutrition Southeast Region manages a network of eleven plants and two warehouses in the southeast part of the United States. The purpose of this thesis is to explain the current supply chain design including the relationships that exists between facilities, analyze the costs associated with the current design and relationships, and assess the feasibility of alternative designs of supply chain strategies available. A brief description of each facility along with production characteristics specific to each facility is given. Due to certain production characteristics, dependent relationships exist between certain plants. These relationships create restrictions to which our supply chain is subject. Other relationships are not as rigid and thus can be manipulated in pursuit of lowering overall supply chain costs. The model resulting from this thesis will facilitate the assessment of the feasibility of these changes. There are many costs associated with the supply chain; however, costs included in this analysis are limited to the costs that could vary when changing suppliers. The price of the product, transportation costs, and certain warehouse fees deemed relevant to this research are applied to the expected annual sales tons to reach a total cost of supply chain considering the assumptions made. The base scenario was defined according to known facts regarding the current design of our supply chain, which included identification of suppliers, supplier prices, transportation costs, and associated handling/warehouse fees, as well as determining the quantity of product that would need to flow throughout our supply chain. Then the total cost associated with the current supply chain design was assessed according to our analytical model. Once the total cost of the base scenario was determined, comparison to alternative scenarios could take place. Changing the relationships between locations of the supply chain results in alternative scenarios to which the analytical model and decision rule developed can be applied to determine feasibility of the alternative supply chain designs. Operating within the confines of the research, the total cost of the current supply chain design was determined to be $15,697,426. That total cost then serves as a base figure which can be used in comparison with the overall cost of alternative scenario #1. Scenario #1 resulted in a total cost of $15,447,597 – an annual savings of $249,828. Scenarios #2 through #4 were evaluated against the total cost of scenario #1. The total cost of scenario #2 is $15,421,364 which results in annual savings of $26,234. Scenario #3 results in a total supply chain cost of $15,347,888 which equates to annual savings of $9,710 in comparison to scenario #1. The final scenario in this study results in a total cost of $15,443,547. The annual savings generated by scenario #4 in comparison to scenario #1 are $4,050. The results indicate that there are alternative configurations of Cargill Animal Nutrition’s Southeast supply chain that can be developed to increase the competitiveness of operations and improve operational excellence through cost savings. These results are used to inform management in the implementation of the new goals that have been established for the organization. Further utilization of the tool developed will result in increased knowledge of the costs associated with supply chain design. This will allow the company to be able to understand the cost of their supply chain so they can benefit from decreased supply chain costs by reacting to changing market factors.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1948 S35 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1952 L48 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1956 M46 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1958 O52

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1959 M31

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1960 B74