USask awarded $5.2 million for innovative research projects

Aug 07, 2023

The money comes from Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), a program jointly funded by the provincial and federal governments.

In all, 25 USask researchers were awarded funding for projects that range from using artificial intelligence to monitor the well-being of pigs to developing vaccines to control diseases such as foot rot in cattle, to controlling microbial diseases in bees and maximizing the use of wheat straw in the diet of beef cattle. Five of these projects, totalling $863,000, are at the USask-owned Prairie Swine Centre.

“This major investment by our federal and provincial governments and industry partners ensures the continued advancement of leading-edge research by USask scientists in the areas of livestock well-being and health, production efficiency, and agricultural technology,” said USask Vice-President Research Baljit Singh.

“We greatly appreciate this support for research that is contributing to global food security, and to enhancing the economy of Saskatchewan and Canada by developing value-added products, increasing exports, and training of highly skilled professionals.”

Industry co-funders of the USask projects are: SaskMilk; Alberta Milk; Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association; Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission; Saskatchewan Alfalfa Seed Producers Development Commission; Results Driven Agriculture Research; and the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission.

Source : Swine Web

Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.