Ontario Pork – Prairie Swine Centre

Novel antimicrobials for swine health

Dr. Chris Gray, University of Guelph Summary The main goal of the project has been to enhance the performance and reduce the toxicity of a novel synthetic AMP (HHC-36), employ machine learning (ML) methods for discovering new, more potent antimicrobial...

April 24, 2023

Management Ontario Pork

Establishing value/utility of soluble CD163 as a biomarker for predicting PRRS-induced disease severity in swine herds

Dr. John Harding, University of Saskatchewan Summary There is evidence to conclude that both sCD163 and the thyroid hormones are potential biomarkers of disease resilience. At present, we have stronger evidence for the thyroid hormones and supporting further investigation for...

April 24, 2023

Engineering Ontario Pork

Strategies for detoxifying vomitoxin using innovative chemical and biological approaches in post-weaning piglets

Dr. Joshua Gong, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph Research & Development Centre Summary With global warming, contamination of feed ingredients by the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), occurs more often, thus compromising swine production efficiency. Sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) is a chemical that...

April 24, 2023

Engineering Ontario Pork

Barn gas monitoring with automated ventilation control

John Van de Vegte, OMAFRA Summary Farrowing, nursery and finishing barns do require a designed ventilation system to manage air quality within the pig housing areas. Ventilation system performance is optimized through the use of a sophisticated ventilation system controller...

April 24, 2023

Management Ontario Pork

Development of an in vitro/in vivo correlation method to assess the efficiency of oral drug release from medicated feeds in swine

Dr. Jerome del Castillo, University of Montreal Summary For the last 70 years, feed has been used as a convenient drug administration vehicle for group medication of pigs. Once they satisfy the requirements for regulatory approval, the dietary drug premixes...

April 24, 2023

Nutrition Ontario Pork

Precision feeding of gestating sows

Dr. Ira Mandell, University of Guelph Summary Using feeding programs that precisely match estimated daily energy and Lys requirements for gestating sows provides the opportunity to reduce nitrogen losses to the environment and reduce lactation feed usage, without negatively affecting...

April 24, 2023

Nutrition Ontario Pork

Zinc Oxide and Antimicrobial Resistance in Pigs

An essential nutrient in a pigs diet is zinc, with minimum levels need around 100 ppm. In early starter rations, zinc oxide is often used therapeutically to control post-weaning E. coli diarrhea in levels of 2000 to 3000 ppm. Zinc...

November 23, 2020

Management Ontario Pork

Compounding Iron Dextran with NSAIDs for Use in Piglets at Time of Processing

NSAIDs are often given at processing along with iron dextran and it is tempting to given them together to reduce the number of injections to the piglet. Mixing these products is not allowed under the Canadian Assurance program, though it...

November 23, 2020

Management Ontario Pork

Enhancement of Litter Size in Commercial Swine

A large concern in the North American Pork Industry is prenatal mortality. Between gestation days 15-0, 20-30% of coceptuses are lost, with another 10-15% loses between gestation days 50-70. Different techniques to improve litter size have been used such as...

November 23, 2020

Management Ontario Pork

Identifying the Cause of Death of Hogs that Perish In-Transit: A Pilot Project at Two Ontario Packing Plants

The cause of death and associated risk factors for in-transit losses are needed in order to reduce mortalities. It is often assumed that deaths are due to stress or heat exhaustion but the actual cause is not usually identified. Hogs...

November 23, 2020

Category: Ontario Pork