This project will assess, at the whole-farm level, the economic and environmental impacts of the implementation of innovative technologies and practices dedicated to reducing energy or water use and GHG emissions through the farrow-to-finish cycle.

This research will help us to understand the relationships between industry practices and farmer mental health, which will help further target programs to improve farmer mental health, and therefore, animal health and welfare.

This project aims to test improvements in feed formulations that include on-farm processed full-fat soybeans to optimize nutrient digestibility, growth performance, pig health, and carcass value and quality at slaughter.

To examine 4R nutrient stewardship requirements for cropping systems utilizing chemical fertilizers where manures are also previously or currently applied to minimize waste and potential environmental impacts.

To compare the effects of unloading at feed, water and rest stations compared to feeding and watering pigs on the trailer on stress responses and subsequent food safety.

This project aims to generate lysine recommendations that maximize mammary development during late gestation, milk production in the subsequent lactation period, and piglet survivability.

This project will identify the microbiome changes during parturition and will determine differences in the vaginal microbiome of healthy sows and sows with postpartum vaginal infections and reproduction problems.

This project will expand the current pork phenomics database and identify relationships between desirable meat quality traits, serving as a platform for precision farming.

Water Holding Capacity of feedstuffs should help refining the formulation of porcine medicated feeds to preserve the therapeutic efficacy of the dietary drugs.

The overall objective is to construct a simulation model that will estimate production impact of disruption in swine marketing in Ontario and propose mitigation strategies that could minimize impact of such disruptions on swine populations and swine producers.

DeRosa has developed aptamers (artificial receptors) for two compounds implicated in boar taint (androstenone and skatole) and a prototype lateral flow device (dipstick test) for use in pig carcass testing. 
 

Dr. Voroney’s research will clarify the effects of pig slurry OM on the chemistry of soil and fertilizer P and validate Ontario’s current soil P test in soils amended with pig manure slurry.

Dr. Lee-Anne and team intend to “test improvements” in lactating sow feeding programs and technologies in order to support producers as they consider installing precision feeding technologies for (lactating) sows on-farm.

It is well documented that stress impacts swine health and negatively affects production, including feed efficiency, growth and meat quality.