The University of Guelph has compiled research to improve nutritional management in growing-finishing pigs. The objectives of there research include improving efficiency/profitability of pork production, improve pork quality and safety, minimize environmental impact, and reduce reliance on in-feed medication. With these objectives as guides, research updates are provided for three projects: The first being Long-term impact of post-weaning feeding programs. There are opposing views on post-weaning feeding programs, one view argues strong growth post-weaning leads to strong growth thereafter, while the other view believes a poor diet and growth post-weaning will lead to compensatory growth resulting in the same outcome with lower feed costs. The research attempts to evaluate the effects of a complex diet and in-feed antibiotics versus a simple diet on nursery pigs and how it impacts grow-finish growth performance and carcass quality. Pigs were put on either a simple or complex diet, and tracked through their barn cycle. Results found that reduced gain in the nursery due to reduced diet complexity or feeding antibiotics did not effect days from weaning to market, gain to feed ratio from weaning to market, or carcass composition. The second project that is reported on is Variability of (Ontario) DDGs. Researchers attempt to assess the variability in nutrient characteristics of DDGS and to identify predictors of nutritional value. Twelve samples from each of seven sources were used. Results found that there was a large difference between and within processing plant differences, also conventional amino acid analyses overestimate reactive lysine by about 17%. The third project Decision Support System to evaluate the environmental & financial impacts of alternative management strategies attempts to identify and implement an optimum management strategy by further developing the pig growth model developed by the International Pig Growth Modelling Group, lead the development of models for “Nutrient requirements of swine” and explore aspects of nutrient utilization.