Duration: 10/01/2019 to 09/30/2024

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

The overall stability of the US economy continues to depend on efficient production agriculture. Swine production and nutrition form inseparable components of pork production in the US to help feed the world’s population a high-quality protein for improved health. Maintenance and improvement of the current level of US competitiveness in the global market continues to be of vital importance. The evidence reported herein shows that high-quality and timely swine nutrition research conducted by the North Central Coordinating Committee has made significant contributions to this competitiveness.

The North Central Coordinating Committee (NCCC) on Swine Nutrition (NCCC042), previously called NCR-42, has a rich history, spanning over 50 years of conducting cooperative research to provide answers to specific yet practical issues dealing with swine nutrition that individual stations could not accomplish alone. The primary advantage of this cooperative research is the use of the same experimental designs, diet formulations, and experimental protocols which minimize confounding factors that are incorporated into independently designed studies, thereby  allowing for clearer interpretation of results. Research published by the NCCC042 represents a multi-state approach that has resulted in a scientifically productive effort by the members to provide sound nutritional recommendations to the swine industry. Current NCCC042 members have expertise in nutrient utilization, feed analyses, molecular nutrition, mineral metabolism, biotechnology, protein and amino acid biochemistry, and growth and muscle physiology. The committee has also recruited and enlisted the services of biostatisticians, agricultural economists, animal behaviorists and international animal scientists as appropriate.

With the development and use of new technologies (low-nutrient-excretion diets, improved genetic lines, nutrition-environment interrelationships, metabolic modifiers, antibiotic alternatives, etc.) in the swine industry, specific questions relating to nutritional requirements will need to be answered more rapidly, with more validity, and with broader implications through a cooperative, multi-state effort rather than by individual stations working independently.

The NCCC042 Committee has historically developed projects on a continuing basis rather than completely at the outset of the approval process. This allows the committee to respond quickly and promptly to issues as they emerge. The advantage of this type of approach is the quick attention given to research questions that need to be solved on a national basis without the restriction to specific experiments revised periodically. This is especially useful considering the declining funding in the field of animal nutrition. This collaborative multi-state approach is as relevant now as it has been in the past, evident by the large quantity of quality, robust, timely research. The emphasis on applied nutrition is by design, and incorporates a unifying strength in the proactive stance on identification of critical issues facing the swine nutrition industry. Members of the Committee maintain close ties to the swine and feed industries and are keenly aware of basic and applied questions that need to be answered. Representatives from the pork and swine nutrition industries participate in the Committee’s annual meeting to keep the Committee informed on high-priority areas of swine nutrition that are researchable on a multi-state basis. In addition, representatives from this Committee have participated in the annual meeting of the Swine Nutrition Council of the American Feed Industry Association to exchange information on high-priority research needs.

Many of the findings by the NCCC042 Committee would not have been discovered without the large number of animals assembled from many stations and the applicability discovered by various genetics and management strategies. For example, the split sex feeding strategy discovered by NCCC042 Committee would not have been possible without the large number of both barrows and gilts as well as the establishment of amino acid requirements of barrows and gilts versus feeding them together, because large numbers of animals are needed to detect real treatment effects. Most stations working independently could not have researched important issues due to limited numbers of animals. This type of research approach conducted on a multi-state basis also generates results that have broad inferences across many environmental and management conditions.

The NCCC042 Committee has an enviable history of addressing important researchable problems relating to swine nutrition and an excellent record with respect to publishing research in scientific literature. Research conducted by the NCCC042 committee members has made major contributions to swine nutrition and provided technical information to improve efficiency of pork production. Goals of the NCCC042 are consistent with the priority research objective of North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Stations which is to develop improved animal production systems that are competitive, profitable, and environmentally sound. The structure and functionality of the NCCC042 is regarded as a national model for coordinating committees. The Committee can boast the following: excellent attendance at annual meetings in the last 5 years; record participation in cooperative projects; record publication of 34 refereed journal papers in the Journal of Animal Science, and presentation of 43 abstracts at sectional or national meetings of the American Society of Animal Science during its 50-year history. In addition, Committee members have written two editions of a comprehensive textbook entitled Swine Nutrition. Since the last project approval, 3 refereed journal papers have been published in the Journal of Animal Science and 2 abstracts presented at sectional or national meetings of the American Society of Animal Science. Seven of the ten members of the National Academy of Science Nutrient Requirements of Swine (2012) Committee were past and(or) current members of NCCC042. Currently, two members of NCCC042 serve on the NRSP-9 National Animal Nutrition Program. In addition, the Swine Nutrition Research Team received the Excellence in Research Award in July, 2013.

Accomplishments and Highlights since Last Approval:

A. Held joint meetings with the Regional Research Committee on Nutrition and Management of Swine for Increased Reproductive Efficiency (S-1061) in January 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. During these meetings discussed research topics of common interest and collaborated several research studies.

B. The following feed industry/commodity board representatives were in attendance during NCCC042 meetings in January 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018: Dr. Kevin Touchette (Ajinomoto) representing AFIA in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018; Dr. Chris Hostetler, National Pork Board in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018; Dr. Ron Nimmo (Phibro Animal Health) in 2017; Dr. Henry Turlington (AFIA) in 2017.

C. There were regular and periodic interactions between the committee and Charlotte Kirk-Baer (USDA-NIFA), the CSREES representative between 2013 and 2018.
D. Held regular and periodic interactions with the National Pork Board to ensure that the research objectives are in alignment with the needs of the U.S. pork industry (see above)

E. The committee took on the following research projects: 1. Phytase super dosing. 2.  Bakery by-product nutrient variation.  3. Bakery meal digestibility. 4. Digestible P requirements of growing pigs. 5.  Microbiome and diet interactions in nursery pigs.  6.  Ca:P ratios in commercial feed samples

F. Published the following scientific papers (2013 to present):

Refereed Journal Papers

1. Adeola, O., D. C. Mahan, M. J. Azain, S. K. Baidoo, G. L. Cromwell,  G. M. Hill,  J. E. Pettigrew, C. V. Maxwell, and M. C.  Shannon. 2013. Dietary lipid sources and levels for weanling pigs.   J. Anim. Sci. 91:219-224.

2. Mahan, D.C., M. Azain, T.D. Crenshaw, G.L. Cromwell, C.R. Dove, S.W. Kim, M.D. Lindemann, P.S. Miller, J.E. Pettigrew, H.H. Stein, and E. van Heugten. 2014.  Supplementation of organic and inorganic selenium to diets using grains grown in various regions of the United States wither differing natural Se concentrations and fed to grower-finisher swine. J. Anim. Sci.  92:4991-4997.

3.  Adeola, O., M.J. Azain, S.D. Carter, T.D. Crenshaw, M.J. Estienne, B.J. Kerr, M.D. Lindeman, C.V. Maxwell, P.S. Miller, M.C. Shannon and E. van Heugten.  A cooperative study on the standardized total-tract digestible phosphorus requirement of twenty-kilogram pigs. 2015. J. Anim. Sci. 93:5743-5753.

4.  Liu, Y., R, Jha, and H.H. Stein. 2018. Nutritional composition, gross energy concentration m and in vitro digestibility of dry matter in 46 sources of bakery meals.  J. Anim. Sci. doi: 10.1093/jas/sky310.

Journal Abstracts

1.  Adeola, O., M.J. Azzain, S.D. Carter, T.D. Crenshaw, M.J. Estienne, B.J. Kerr, M.D. Lindeman, C.V. Maxwell, P.S. Miller, M.C. Shannon, and E. van Heugten. 2014. Digestible phosphorus requirement of 20-kg pigs – A cooperative study.  J. Anim. Sci. 92(Suppl. 2):222.

2.  Crenshaw, T.D., O. Adeola, M.J. Azzain, S.K. Baidoo, S.D. Carter, G.M. Hill, S. W. Kim, P.S. Miller, M.C. Shannon, and H.H. Stein. 2015.  Effects of super dosing of microbial phytase in diets for weanling pigs.  J. Anim. Sci. 93(Suppl. 3):227.

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

The committee will engage in integrated and collaborative research that is aimed at reducing feed costs and enhancing sustainability investigating ways to reduce feed costs, improve energy utilization, increase usage of co-products from by-products including the fuel ethanol industry. To this end, the committee will conduct research to evaluate new feed ingredients, continue to assess value of co-products from the food and ethanol industry, measure energy and macro nutrient digestibility, and other important research areas.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

The NCCC042 Committee consists of prominent swine nutritionists from the North Central Region along with a few surrounding states and has been in existence since the early 1960's. It has been involved in cooperative research for nearly 50 years and is recognized as one of the most effective regional committees of its kind. The committee meets annually in January to plan experiments with a common protocol, present research results from such experiments conducted during the previous year, review publications in progress written by the committee, and share pertinent information regarding swine nutrition.

In addition to the annual meeting, three subcommittees meet and function during the year to develop initial protocols. The subcommittees are: 1) wean/grow/finish, 2) sow, and 3) nutrient digestion/metabolism. The general objective of each subcommittee is to investigate the industry concerns involving the nutritional problems of the various phases of swine production. Subcommittees meet annually to develop plans for their respective area. Generally prior to the annual meeting, ideas are solicited from the entire committee, reviewed by the subcommittee, and project proposals are developed. At the annual meeting, the entire body of members vote to collectively conduct studies based on an agreed-upon protocol. The experiments to be conducted use the same design and protocol but under differing experimental facilities, genetics, and environmental conditions. The composited replicates from this procedure allows the use of large number of animals and replicates such that the results can be more widely applied than if the study was conducted at one site. All members of the NCCC042 committee are asked to participate in approved NCCC042 projects within a proposed time frame. The general objectives of each subcommittee are as follows:

Wean/Grow/Finish. The committee plans experiments using standardized protocols such that large numbers of animals can be used to investigate areas of nutritional concern in these three swine production phases.

Sow. Sow nutrition experiments have historically been conducted using low sow numbers and inadequate number of replicates which poses problems with interpretation of data. The experiments planned and conducted by the committee using a large number of sows generally eliminate those concerns. The sow committee investigates those nutritional issues that are of concern to the swine and feed industry such that valid conclusions can be made.

Nutrient Digestion/Metabolism. The nutrient content and nutrient digestibility of feed ingredients and premixes vary by source. To ensure that diets contain adequate amounts of digestible nutrients and that the amounts of nutrients excreted from growing and reproducing swine are minimized, precise estimates of nutrient digestibility coefficients are needed. The committee will evaluate new feed ingredients, continue to assess value of co-products from the ethanol industry, measure energy and macro nutrient digestibility. These will be cooperatively conducted in  digestibility and metabolism studies using a common set of protocols.

Organization/Governance

The recommended Standard Governance for multistate research activities include the election of a Chair, a Chair-elect, and a Secretary. All officers are to be elected for at least two-year terms to provide continuity. Administrative guidance will be provided by an Administrative Advisor and a NIFA Representative.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

CA, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MS, NC, NE, SD, WI

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

Texas Tech University