Improving 4R nutrient stewardship practices for crop production systems currently or previously receiving manures
4R Nutrient Stewardship is recognized as essential approach to maximize farming profitability with minimized environmental risk. The current 4R practices have been developed under field conditions where chemical fertilizers (CF) were applied only. However, cropping systems receiving manure have significantly different management requirements than those with CF alone. In manure-amended soils, the fraction of organic […]
Feeding gestating sows to maximize mammary gland development and milk production: the importance of Lysine
Genetic selection for increased litter sizes has increased the demand for the lactating sow to produce milk. Mammary gland development occurs during three distinct phases: between 90 days of age and puberty, during the last third of gestation, and during lactation[39]. Any interventions aimed at increasing mammary development must be implemented during one of these […]
Improvement of feed efficiency in Canadian swine industry through genomics and machine learning
Feed is the largest cost of pork production in Canada and therefore improving feed efficiency (FE) is essential to boost the Canadian pig producer profitability. Additionally, improving FE increases industry competitiveness, decreases demand on global feed resources, and complements environmental sustainability. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and residual feed intake (RFI) are common indicators for FE […]
Direct pen ventilation retrofit for nursery rooms
The barn gas monitoring data collected to date in the ongoing project 18-006 “Barn Gas Monitoring with Automated Ventilation Control” indicates that the existing ventilation system in an industry-typical nursery room is not fully effective in managing the temperature and barn gas conditions within the room. For example: An improved ventilation system is required that […]
Development of evidence-based feeding strategies for lactating sows using novel and evolving feeding technologies
Computerized feeding technologies are becoming mainstream and are being implemented by Ontario pork producers. These technologies reduce the labour required to deliver feed to pigs and facilitate data collection, while also providing the opportunity to closely match estimated (daily) nutrient requirements by blending diets that have high and low nutrient densities. For sows, this is […]
Evaluation and improvement of Streptococcus suis bacterins in sows
Molecular characterization of Streptococcus suis isolates recovered from Ontario nursery pigs between 2013 and 2018
The wide distribution of virulence associated factor genes in S. suis isolates suggests that host factors such as tonsil microbiome, and pig genetic markers as well as different farm related factors may contribute to S. suis disease development. In addition, the diversity of mobile genetic elements carrying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in S. Suis isolates […]
Reducing pathogens and greenhouse gas emissions from swine manure using anaerobic digestion
This project investigated process performance of a plugflow reactor (PFR) configuration co-digesting swine manure and biomass pellets. Although organic matter reduction efficiency decreased with an increase in organic loading rate (OLR) and total solids (TS), process stability was evident throughout the range of OLR investigated. The PFR was able to stably operate and produce biogas […]
Efficacy of Exogenous Alkaline Phosphatases to improve growth performance in pigs
Pig gut endogenous alkaline phosphatase functionality is deficient and insufficient, particularly in the weaning stage, to detoxify gut luminal endotoxins and optimize gut microbiome and digestive functions. This research project investigated the efficacy, biological working mechanisms and environmental impacts of dietary supplementation of optimal levels of the exogenous feed alkaline phosphatases as novel microbial gut […]
Disruption of swine production and marketing in Ontario due to infectious diseases in swine and human populations
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. Such disruptions could occur due to various reasons such as outbreak of human disease among abattoir workers […]
