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Water is one of the most overlooked inputs on a hog farm, and it may be costing you more than you think.

Prairie Swine Centre research shows that drinker height and flow rate have a big impact on how much water is wasted. Finisher pigs alone waste 25–40% of water from nipple drinkers, and about 65% of nipple drinkers on farms are set at flow rates higher than needed.

The fix is straightforward. Set nipple drinkers at shoulder height for the smallest pig in the pen. Flow rates should stay between 0.5 and 1.0 litres per minute for most stages. Check regularly for leaks and replace faulty drinkers promptly.

Small adjustments to height and flow rate can meaningfully cut water waste and reduce your water bill — without compromising pig health or performance.

Feed is the biggest cost in raising pigs, so finding ways to use it more efficiently is a top priority. Researchers studied over 14,900 Canadian Duroc pigs to compare different ways of measuring feed efficiency and understand how these traits are linked to growth and feeding behaviour.

The results are clear: selecting pigs based on Residual Feed Intake (RFI) — a measure of how much extra feed a pig eats beyond what's needed to grow — is a better tool than the traditional Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR). Improving FCR can unintentionally push pigs to gain more fat or reduce daily gains. RFI avoids these trade-offs.

Breeding programs that target low-RFI animals can lower your feed costs while keeping growth and meat quality on track.

PRRS virus is one of the costliest diseases for pig producers. When it hits a sow herd, newly weaned piglets often get sick fast — and without quick action, mortality rates can climb. Researchers in Quebec tested whether adding Tylvalosin (Aivlosin®) to drinking water could help nursery pigs fight through a natural PRRS outbreak. Half the pigs received the water treatment alongside a standard feed antibiotic; the other half received only the feed antibiotic. The results were promising. Nursery mortality dropped from 10% to 4% in treated pigs, and fewer pigs needed individual antibiotic injections. Survival rates from nursery to market also improved significantly. For producers dealing with PRRS, adding Tylvalosin to drinking water could be a practical, straightforward tool to reduce losses and cut down on injection treatments — without affecting daily gain or feed efficiency.

Many producers wonder if boosting vitamin levels in gestating sow diets could improve litter performance and piglet health. It's an appealing idea, especially given ongoing challenges with sow productivity and piglet survival.

Researchers fed 66 sows and gilts either a standard vitamin diet or a high-vitamin diet across two reproductive cycles, tracking litter size, piglet weights, and immunity levels.

Overall, there were no consistent differences between the two groups. A few minor variations appeared, but nothing that held up reliably across both cycles.

The good news? Current industry vitamin practices appear to be doing their job. Producers don't need to invest in higher vitamin premixes expecting a performance boost. That said, researchers suggest more work is needed, particularly looking at vitamin levels across both gestation and lactation, which could open the door to more targeted feeding strategies down the road.

Your Feeding Stations Know More Than You Think

Managing farrowings well is critical for piglet survival and sow welfare. CDPQ researchers have found that data already collected by electronic feeding stations could predict the start of farrowing up to eight hours in advance.

By analyzing over 1,900 farrowing events using artificial intelligence, the algorithm correctly predicted whether farrowing was imminent in 87% of cases — with no additional sensors required.

For producers, the practical applications are real: better staff scheduling, avoiding unnecessary farrowing injections, and automatically activating piglet comfort equipment at the right time. Commercial farm trials are planned for the near future.

Water-Based Antibiotic Treatment Cuts Piglet Mortality During PRRS Outbreaks

A recent CDPQ study found that adding Tylvalosine (Aivlosin®) to drinking water significantly improved outcomes for piglets recently exposed to the PRRS virus. Mortality dropped from 13% to 6%, and far fewer piglets needed individual antibiotic injections. Growth rates and feed conversion were similar between groups, meaning the water treatment delivered real health benefits without sacrificing performance.

For producers dealing with a PRRS outbreak in their sow herd, this is welcome news. A targeted, water-based antibiotic strategy can meaningfully reduce losses in the nursery during one of the most stressful periods in production.

Key takeaways:

• Mortality was cut nearly in half (13% vs. 6%) with the added water treatment
• Individual antibiotic interventions dropped from 5.1 to 1.7 per pen
• This approach is specifically for PRRS-naïve piglets recently exposed to the virus, and should not be applied broadly across all nursery pigs

For pork producers, this research reinforces that having a targeted, well-timed treatment protocol in place before a PRRS outbreak hits can make a real difference in piglet survival. Work with your veterinarian to determine if this approach fits your herd's situation.

Keeping pigs engaged and stimulated isn't one-size-fits-all. Boredom and stress look different depending on a pig's age and stage, and so do the solutions.

Researchers at Prairie Swine Centre reviewed enrichment preferences across all production phases, from farrowing sows to finishers. They found that matching the right enrichment to the right stage makes a real difference for animal welfare and performance.

Straw is consistently the top choice across most phases, but specifics matter. Nesting materials ease farrowing, rope and burlap suit piglets and nursery pigs, and racks filled with straw or compost work well for growers and gestating sows.

For producers, this is practical guidance you can act on today. Simple, low-cost options like rope, burlap, or straw can meaningfully reduce tail biting, aggression, and stress throughout your barn.

Hybrid Rye Could Be a Win-Win for Quebec Pork Producers and the Environment

Feed production — especially corn — accounts for more than half of the environmental footprint of Quebec pork. Researchers at Université Laval looked at whether replacing corn with locally grown hybrid rye could shrink that footprint without hurting pig performance.

Using a method called life cycle assessment (LCA), they measured the environmental impact of feeding finishing pigs rations where 25% or 50% of the corn was swapped out for hybrid rye. Pig growth performance was assumed to stay the same, which aligns with existing research.

Replacing 50% of corn with rye reduced greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12%, and cut freshwater nutrient pollution by up to 77% when crop rotation benefits were included. Land use was the one trade-off, increasing slightly due to rye's lower yield compared to corn.

For producers, this is promising news. Hybrid rye is agronomically sound, requires fewer pesticides, and improves soil health. The economics also work — grain farmers in a corn-soy-rye rotation can see better profitability as early as their second rotation cycle.

Losing piglets — from farrowing to market — costs producers money and raises welfare concerns. Researchers from Dalhousie University and the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement wanted to know: does your choice of service sire (the boar used for breeding) affect survival?

They analyzed nearly 10,000 litters of Canadian Landrace pigs and found that yes — the boar's genetics do influence survival, though modestly. The top boars produced roughly 3–4 more live piglets per litter than the bottom boars.

The genetic effect is real but small, meaning traditional selection alone won't move the needle much. However, genomic selection — using DNA markers to identify superior boars — could unlock bigger gains. For producers, this is a reminder that boar selection matters beyond growth and leanness.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) — a harmful mould toxin commonly found in grain — is a real headache for Canadian pork producers. Existing solutions to remove it from feed are limited, costly, or not very effective.

Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan and Prairie Swine Centre tested a new material called magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) — tiny particles that can bind and remove DON from wheat, barley, and corn. They optimized treatment conditions for each grain type, then tested MGO-treated feed on nursery pigs.

MGO successfully reduced DON levels in all three grains. Pigs fed MGO-treated feed showed no negative effects on growth or nutrient absorption compared to untreated pigs.

This is promising early-stage research. MGO isn't ready for on-farm use yet, but it could eventually offer producers a safe, effective way to salvage DON-contaminated grain — reducing feed costs and protecting pig health.