What do we know about creep feeding and piglet performance
Hannah Burlet, Atta Agyekum – At the 2026 PSC Producer Meetings, Atta Agyekum presented new research on creep feeing. Creep feeding can be useful for piglets, especially in large litters, when sow milk production is declining, or when pigs are...
What’s new in nutrition?
Hannah Burlet, Jean-Phillipe Martineau – New research presented at the 2026 PSC Producer Meetings by Jean-Phillipe Martineau from Swine Nutrition Partners highlights several opportunities to improve pig performance while managing feed costs. For nursery pigs, diets with lower crude protein...
Practical enrichments for growing pigs on commercial farms
Miranda Smit, Martyna Lagoda – At the 2026 PSC Producer Meetings, Miranda Smit and Martyna Lagoda presented data from a trial at a commercial barn and a research barn looking at environmental enrichment for pigs. Enrichment gives pigs opportunities to...
Hidden pathways for disease
Hannah Burlet, Jeff Bergermann – At the 2026 PSC Producer Meetings, Jeff Bergermann from Zoetis discussed how disease can enter a pig barn. The presentation reviewed the disease triangle—susceptible pigs, pathogens and a favourable environment—and explained how biosecurity can help...
PSC celebrates 35 years driving innovation for the Canadian pork industry
Ken Engele, Murray Pettitt – The Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) is celebrating 35 years of practical, industry-focused research supporting Canada’s pork industry. Established as a non-profit organization in 1991, PSC grew from a University of Saskatchewan research facility into a...
Evaluating the future of the herd
Hannah Burlet, Mauricio Gonzalez, Steffen Klenk – At the 2026 PSC Producer Meetings, the PIC team discussed careful gilt development, appropriate breeding targets, body-condition monitoring, and strong feed and water management to improve sow performance and retention. Research shows that...
Low crude protein for post-weaning diarrhea
Michael Bosompem, Michael Wellington, Andrew van Kessel – A recent study examined whether lowering crude protein levels in nursery pig diets could help reduce post-weaning diarrhea caused by rotavirus and E. coli infection. Researchers compared standard diets with low-protein and...
PEDv rapid test
Bernardo Predicala – A study evaluated a rapid test kit for detecting Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in Canadian swine herds. The study confirmed that the RT-LAMP–based kit could successfully detect North American PEDv strains in infected pigs, providing results...
Precision detection of farrowing onset and distress using advanced artificial intelligence technologies
Farrowing is a critical stage in pork production, however barn workers may not be present for the onset or duration. Use of detection systems may improve health and welfare in this period. Over 1,000 annotated and labelled images were collected...
Mitigating mycotoxin contamination from grains used in swine feed through nanotechnology
Mycotoxin contamination can be a concern for producers resulting from adverse health issues in livestock and significant financial losses in the agriculture sector. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a significant mycotoxin, contaminating common feed grains, such as wheat, barley and corn. Mitigation...
Improving feed efficiency in pork production through individual thermal efficiency index
Feed efficiency is essential in pork production optimizing growth and maximizing nutrient use. This project will validate the use of thermal efficiency index (TEI) for evaluating feed efficiency in growing pigs. This study investigated the relationship between thermal efficiency and...
The influence of gestational vitamin supplementation on sow and piglet performance
Past research has shown that increased supplementation of certain vitamins can enhance parameters such as conception rates, litter size, and the passage of maternal immunoglobulins; these experiments generally include increased provision of one or two vitamins. To understand the impact...
