The two most important nutrients in a swine diet are widely known to be energy and amino acids (AA). Before we even think about adding in other additives or new ingredient sources, we need to make sure we are feeding the most efficient energy and AA ratios we can. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Jorge Estrada about his study feeding different energy and AA levels to determine the impacts of different levels on gain, feed intake, and other parameters in maternal barrows.
Meet the guest: Dr...
Most evaluations of swine feeding programs focus on the economic impacts each program has. However, to achieve sustainable pork production, we can’t forget to pay attention to the environmental impacts the feeding program has as well. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Edward Yang about his study testing four different feeding programs and evaluating their impact on productivity, nutrient efficiency, and various environmental parameters.
Meet the guest: Dr. Zhaohui “Edward” Yang recently g...
The first several weeks of a piglets life can be very stressful. Not only do their bodies endure physical and mental stress, but also oxidative stress, which can lead to increased cell and tissue damage. In this episode, I talk with Dan Bussières about a study testing a polyphenol fed to sows to see if it can increase the piglets resistance to oxidative stress by absorbing antioxidants from the milk and colostrum.
Meet the guest: Dan Bussières is the co-founder of Groupe Cérès in Canada;...
Feed prices continue to rise in the swine industry. With the contant fluctuations and unpredictability, we always need to evaluating the potential to use novel sources to provide pigs with nutrients. In this episode with Dr. Lee-Anne Huber, we talk about a black soldier fly larvae meal and its use in nursery diets and its cost and availability.
Meet the guest: Dr. Lee-Anne Huber was raised on a mixed farm of beef cattle and pigs just north of Guelph, Ontario. She decided to attend the U...
Nitrogen and ammonia emissions are a constant concern for animal sustainability as we increase the amount of pork produced around the world. However decreasing nitrogen emissions is often done by reducing the amount of crude protein fed, which can decrease performance. In this episode, Dalton Humphrey and I talk about his study providing benzoic acid to growing pigs to see how effective it is at decreasing emissions without hindering average daily gain.
Meet the guest:
Dalton Humphrey is...
With fluctuations in pig diet ingredient costs, it is always prudent to have alternative feed ingredients priced and changes in gain and feed intake estimated in the event of a significant price increase of typical ingredients such as corn or soybean meal. In this episode, Caitlyn Sullivan and I discuss her trial of replacing increasing levels of corn with hybrid rye to see how it affects average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain-to-feed ratios for finisher pigs.
Meet the g...
Several studies have shown that feeding increased lysine soon after a health challenge can improve performance and help mitigate the negative effects associated with the infection, but how long after infection will those high lysine diets still be effective? In this episode, I talk with Kayla Miller about 2 studies she performed testing different nutritional strategies for poor health pigs, including a delayed feeding of a high lysine diet to PRRSV infected pigs.
Meet the guest: Kayla Mi...