A Belgian swine researcher is seeking ways to reduce the costs of production and better estimate growth rates.
Pascal Leterme recently joined the Prairie Swine Centre outside Saskatoon to lead three studies on pulses, flax and peas.
One study began last fall and is funded by prairie pulse grower associations. It is examining the nutritional value of 24 field pea samples in growing pigs.
Leterme wants to create more accurate estimates of net energy, the actual amount of feed retained by the animal. He will also look at sows and their ability to more efficiently use carbohydrates.
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“We’ll study what happens in the large intestine in terms of fibre fermentation to understand why sows better use peas,” he said.
The canola study, funded by the Canola Council of Canada and the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, will look at net energy values in canola meal to see how it competes with soybean meal.
Leterme will examine how feeding whole canola seeds mixed with canola meal might provide a higher level of energy for growing pigs and sows.
A desire to find new feed markets for leftover flaxseed meal is driving a third research project that is funded by a private Belgian company.
That company buys mainly Canadian flaxseed each year to create soap and detergent from the oil. Markets for the leftover flaxseed meal in feeding ruminants are saturated in Europe.
Leterme believes his study will show flaxseed meal offers functional properties that have positive effects on the gut and reproductive systems of sows.
The studies will continue through the next three to four years.
