Grant: Alliance Grants

Feed is the major cost in pork production and therefore improving feed efficiency is essential for the pig producers' profitability. Moreover, improving feed efficiency increases industry competitiveness, decreases demand on global feed resources, and complements environmental sustainability. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is a common approach for measuring feed efficiency in pigs; however, FCR might not be the best approach since lower FCR might have adverse effects on other important traits. Another approach is residual feed intake (RFI), which considers how much feed is used above what a pig needs for growth and maintenance. Selective breeding for RFI potentially increases feed efficiency while avoiding such adverse effects on other traits. Therefore, it is important to examine the possibility of using RFI as an indicator of feed efficiency in the Canadian swine industry. This project aims to combine both traditional genetic approaches and state-of-the-art genomic selection methods with machine learning to derive the best options for producing feed efficient pigs. The project will collect feed efficiency traits on 4,000 animals that can be used for genomic and machine learning studies. This will be achieved by partnership between Dalhousie University, PIC Canada, and Ontario Pork. The identified genomic markers will be used for developing a small single nucleotide polymorphism panel for quick scanning of animals with high feed efficiency. Moreover, genotypic and phenotypic information will be used in different genomic prediction methods to estimate the genomic breeding values for animals. The project will yield the most appropriate methods for selection of high feed efficient animals. At the end of the project, we will work with the industry partners to implement the best methods in their breeding programs. The project's outcome will benefit the swine industry via reducing their feed cost and improve their farm environments. The graduate student and postdoc will be trained to support the demands for highly qualified personnel in the swine industry. The results of the project are critical to the development of sustainable pig production in Canada.