Research in Action Podcast: Precision Feeding with Dr. Aline Remus

Feed represents more than half of production costs on many pig farms, making nutrition one of the biggest opportunities to improve both profitability and environmental performance. 

Precision feeding is taking that opportunity a step further by using real-time information to better match diets with the needs of the pigs actually in the barn.

In the premiere episode of Swine Innovation Porc's Research in Action podcast, hosts Cole Christensen and Alison Lee, SIP Research Manager, sit down with Dr. Aline Remus of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to explore the latest findings from her Swine Cluster 4 project.

Feeding the pig, not the average

At its core, precision feeding means moving away from diets designed for an "average" pig. Instead, information such as body weight and feed intake can be used to tailor nutrition to smaller groups or even individual animals.

The potential benefits are significant. In one of the project's latest studies, precision feeding reduced feed costs per kilogram of pig produced by approximately 11 per cent, reduced nitrogen excretion by 20 per cent, and resulted in roughly a 10 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, without sacrificing growth performance.

The episode also explores research into incorporating forage into pig diets, including what researchers learned from using pelleted timothy, and the opportunities and trade-offs that need to be considered before these approaches can be adopted more widely.

From better data to better decisions

Precision feeding is about more than the feed itself. Dr. Remus explains how collecting better data can help producers understand what is happening in the barn and respond more precisely.

Changes in feed intake, for example, can appear two to three days before clinical signs of disease, creating opportunities for earlier detection and more targeted intervention.

Automation could make those insights increasingly practical. Technologies under development include camera-based systems capable of estimating pig weights, while group precision feeding systems can use information on weight and feed intake to tailor diets at the pen level.

For producers, the economic opportunity is also compelling. Dr. Remus says research over the past decade has consistently demonstrated feed savings in the range of $8 to $12 per pig, before accounting for potential benefits associated with labour, feed wastage or earlier disease detection.

Precision feeding is not a one-size-fits-all technology. Farms may begin with more precise phase feeding, move toward group precision feeding, or eventually adopt individual systems as equipment becomes more commercially accessible.

Listen to the first episode of Research in Action to hear how Dr. Remus and her collaborators are helping move precision feeding from research into practical solutions for Canadian pork producers.