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As part of our outreach program, we provide periodic updates on NCLE research, education, outreach and other activities in the form of a Newsletter. These updates are posted on our website and emailed to our subscribers. An archive of past updates is also available. If you would like to be on our email list, please email Christine Rawluk, NCLE Research Development Coordinator. July/August 2010 Newsletter view as a pdf Research Feature
Working towards phosphorus balance while creating markets for Manitoba If you are plugged in to livestock agriculture in Manitoba, you are already well aware phosphorus based manure management regulations are coming into full effect as of 2013. In order for Manitoba's livestock producers to comply with the revised regulations and remain economically competitive, they must have access to practical and affordable solutions for manure phosphorus management. At last winter's Achieving Manure Phosphorus Balance in Manitoba Workshop (pworkshop2009.com), industry and government stakeholders recognized the need to use a holistic approach to P management on the whole farm, including adjustments to feed ingredients or diet formulations. For example, fine-tuning the amount of available P in feed to match animal P requirements reduces not only the amount of P in manure, but also the amount purchased and imported onto a farm. Yet the drivers for selecting feed ingredients are economics and performance indices that do not always consider potential implications for manure P management.
The workshop prompted Carole Furedi and Dean Gurney of The Puratone Corporation to team up with the University of Manitoba and the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, along with funding partners Farmer’s Edge, the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association and the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council, for a comprehensive study evaluating diets containing zero tannin faba beans and wheat-corn DDGS produced in Manitoba. Dean Gurney, environmental manager explains the drive behind the whole-farm approach. “The workshop got us thinking that, if we’re choosing feed ingredients based on cost, maybe we should expand our scope to the whole pig production and manure management system to get at the true costs. We know pigs drink more with certain feed ingredients and we know feed ingredients can alter manure nitrogen and phosphorus content as well as the total amount of excretion. When you calculate how these changes translate to manure handling costs, particularly in light of phosphorus-based manure management regulations, are we still coming out ahead?” Dr. Elijah Kiarie, a swine nutritionist with the Dept. of Animal Science at the U of M, leads the digestibility component of the study. “Before we can develop proper rations, we need to know the digestible energy and nutrient content of zero-tannin faba beans and corn-wheat DDGS. We will use this information to formulate the commercial diets for the whole-barn performance trials,” says Kiarie of the U of M’s role in the project. Carole Furedi, Puratone’s continuous improvement and research facilitator will oversee the whole-barn nursery and grow-finish evaluations. “We’re conducting whole animal and whole barn evaluations at two of Puratone’s facilities, looking at how well different inclusion rates of DDGS and zero tannin faba beans perform at these different scales. Ultimately we’re doing this to determine the value of these ingredients to the swine industry.” Measurements of water consumption, manure nutrient composition, and manure volume and consistency will form the basis of the non-animal component of the project. “We’re optimistic the outcomes of this project will be win-win for both pig and crop producers,” Furedi concludes. Having a clearer understanding of the whole-animal plus whole-barn impact of a lower cost feed ingredient is anticipated to improve producer confidence in selecting these ingredients as part of their rations and aid in their manure management planning. Having this type of comprehensive feed evaluation information for locally grown crops and locally derived co-products could help drive demand for these products and potentially displace a portion of imported feeds with lower cost local options. Contact Carole Furedi (CFuredi@puratone.com) or Elijah Kiarie (Elijah_Kiarie@umanitoba.ca) for more information Project funding provided by Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council, Manitoba Pulse Growers Association and Farmer’s Edge For a complete listing of NCLE research projects on achieving phosphorus balance in livestock production systems, download the project summary handout on our website (http://umanitoba.ca/afs/ncle/MPBalance.html) For a complete list of NCLE research projects visit http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/ncle/ResearchProjects.html Instant Update
NCLE Chair stops by the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDFRC) NCLE Chair Don Flaten noted many parallels between our multi-disciplinary approach at NCLE and the approach of USDFRC and its partners at the University of Wisconsin and the Institute for Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management. Building on this initial meeting with USDFRC researchers, NCLE will continue to explore opportunities to collaborate. Dr. Flaten visited the centre while in Madison, WI in July for the annual meeting of SERA-17, a group of scientists dedicated to reducing phosphorus losses from agriculture. For more information about the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, check out their website at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=36-55-30-00. Research Update August 3, 2010. Mark Fynn, MSc candidate successfully defends thesis on modeling sow longevity. Mark explored the use of animal welfare and economics parameters in modeling to determine the optimal time to cull sows. He also looked at the role group housing system might play in determining the optimal cull time by comparing these parameters in the two different group housing systems at the Glenlea Research Station. ARDI funded.
NCLE Long Term Field Laboratory showing manure treatment effects. Don Flaten challenged participants at the recent Soil & Manure Management Field Workshop to visually rank plots that have received “equivalent” amounts of available N as synthetic fertilizer, solid manure or liquid manure. The plots that received solid manure were ranked lowest, indicating lower N supply, similar to measured results from the two previous years of this study. ARDI funded. New Literature Review: New Publication:
Extension & Outreach Update First offering of Soil & Manure Management Field Workshop well attended Tours: September 1, Glenlea Research Station - NCLE hosts Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative board members to discuss current MLMMI-funded projects and explore future opportunities in manure management research. We want to hear from you … whether your interest lies in NCLE research, teaching or our extension activities, please direct your inquiries to Christine Rawluk, the NCLE Research Development Coordinator (Christine_Rawluk@umanitoba.ca) or (204) 474-8127
Help spread the news! Please share this newsletter with others who may be interested. Send an email to Christine_Rawluk@umanitoba.ca to sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter.
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