St. Louis, Missouri, USA
January 28, 2025
- Feeding trial results with a major poultry producer indicated significant improvements in live performance and important meat characteristics in broiler chickens.
- Soybean meal derived from Benson Hill Ultra-High Protein, Low Oligosaccharide (UHP-LO) soybeans outperformed commodity soybean meal in final broiler weights, feed conversion ratio, and other yield metrics.
- Replacing commodity soybean meal with UHP-LO soybean meal in poultry diets improved broiler weights by 5.4 percent and feed conversion ratios by 3.2 percent.
Benson Hill, Inc. (Nasdaq: BHIL, the “Company” or “Benson Hill”), a seed innovation company, partnered with a major poultry integrator to complete a second commercial feeding trial to validate the value of including soybean meal derived from Benson Hill’s Ultra-High Protein, Low Oligosaccharide (UHP-LO) soybeans in poultry diets.
The results confirm that incorporating UHP-LO soybean meal (SBM) in commercial broiler diets substantially improved feed conversion and resulted in heavier broilers, reflecting the higher protein and metabolizable energy present in Benson Hill’s proprietary soybean genetics. These observations reinforce findings from the Company’s first broiler feeding study released in May 2024.
In the six-week trial, broilers fed a diet containing UHP-LO SBM weighed more at processing and grew more muscle versus broilers fed a diet formulated with commodity soybean meal. For this group of broilers, replacing commodity soybean meal in the diet with UHP-LO SBM improved broiler weights by 5.4 percent and feed conversion ratios by 3.2 percent.
Poultry producers have enhanced flexibility with UHP-LO to formulate feeding rations for cost advantage (up to 5 percent in prior studies) and bird performance gains (up to 5.4 percent in this study). These gains are significant and translate across the value chain.
“This latest feeding trial showcases the transformative impact of switching from commodity soybean meal to a high-protein, nutritious option that is truly Made from Better™,” said Deanie Elsner, Chief Executive Officer of Benson Hill. “These study results not only reaffirm the value of our UHP-LO soybean meal for poultry producers seeking specific outcomes like feed efficiency, but they are also supported by more than two decades of soybean breeding and our technology core. We estimate that choosing specialty soy from Benson Hill can generate approximately $2.2 billion of value annually for the broiler industry.”
Benson Hill will continue to pursue broadacre expansion in feed and expects to broaden its soybean portfolio to more than 35 varieties for the 2025 crop year. Non-GMO UHP-LO soybean varieties, destined for animal feed, demonstrate strong yield performance relative to elite commercial varieties, with herbicide-tolerant varieties expected to be available for the 2026 growing season. For more information on Benson Hill and its proprietary soybean seed portfolio, visit https://bensonhill.com/products/seeds/.
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