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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Prairie Swine Centre Research
We Do Research!
At the Prairie Swine Centre we are experts in research, both public and private. Specializing in data collection, research protocol development and scientific reporting, we work in the areas of nutrition, ethology and engineering just to name a few. Please take a look at this powerpoint to get a feel for what we can do.
There is increased awareness of the benefits of using large animal models in human health research. Due to continuing advancements in gene mapping, transgenics and other innovative technologies the pig is becoming the animal model of choice for answering many human health concerns.
Prairie Swine Centre’s Contract Research Program offers corporations and associations the Centre’s expertise and access to its facilities to conduct research on their own products.
The ultimate goal of the Nutrition Research Program at Prairie Swine Centre is to provide knowledge through research for the development of optimum feeding strategies that enable swine producers to be successful and sustainable.
The Ethology Research Program at the Prairie Swine Centre is dedicated to the field of applied swine behaviour. The program focuses on the maternal and social behaviour of swine as well as the factors that influence handling and temperament.
The ultimate goal of the Engineering Research Program at Prairie Swine Centre is to improve air quality inside hog barns, to reduce odour and gaseous emissions to the environment and develop housing and management systems that optimize pig welfare and productivity.
Research Objectives
Serving the Needs of the Pork Value Chain
Objective #1
To increase net income for pork producers by $1/pig/year through improved nutrition.
This includes the development of feeding programs which emphasize economic efficiency, meat quality, and market value. Understanding feed and fibre sources and the modifications of these to meet the needs of the pig, and changing economic conditions.
Objective #2
To improve animal wellbeing by developing and modifying housing systems, animal management practices, and improving health of the pig.
Objective #3
To improve barn environment through the development of economical and practical techniques ensuring the health and safety of barn workers and animals.
Objective #4
Reduce the operating costs by $0.50/pig/year and reduce the environmental footprint of pork production through breakthroughs in the science of odour and gas emissions, nutrient and water management, utility and resource efficiency.
Objective #5
To address the needs of society by leveraging our knowledge of the pig. This includes for example, using the pig as a model for human health and nutrition.