Purdue Swine Farm Doing Key Research
Published: Friday, October 28, 2022
The swine department at the Purdue University animal sciences research and education center is the largest graduate department on campus. It has over 90 graduate students and 700 undergraduates, according to professor Scott Radcliffe.
The swine research facilities were designed for environmental research and is the only research center in the U.S. with the ability to conduct such large-scale research. To honor national pork month, Purdue hosted a tour of the facility and a kickoff for McDonald's McRib sandwich, which became available in stores on Wednesday.
The facility, at 16 years old, is one of the most recent structures at the swine research farm. Its design allows for the management of everything from airflow to the pigs' diets to manure. This efficient management allows students and staff to evaluate all the variables related to the health of the pigs and the environmental footprint they leave.
"That facility gets used for a tremendous amount of research. Some of the research we've done is just looking at if we alter the group proteins content of the diet, how is that going to affect the environmental footprint?" Radcliffe said. "Some of the recent research that Dr. Richert mentioned (on the tour) is we're looking at different alternatives for antibiotics."
Researchers are also testing the hogs' responses to heat stress and transport stress and the center allows them to mitigate the intensities of those factors, he added.
"We're always making sure we're always enhancing rather than worsening pork quality. But that's not always the primary focus of the research," he said. "The focus may be the environmental footprint or the health of the pig. Secondarily, we're looking at the meat quality, and making sure we're improving that."
The tour first stopped at the farrowing barns to explore the unit and observe some piglets that were recently born. Some of the research done in these barns includes a study on temperature conditions, professor Brian Richert explained. The piglets require temperatures in the 90's while the mothers prefer a 65-degree environment. They are researching ways to create the ideal conditions for nursing pigs.
Another farrowing barn is used to study the effects of heat stress on sows and their young. Heat stress studies are performed at this time of year to ensure that the center can control the environment, Richert said.
From there, the tour moved to a barn housing weened piglets. There they study the environmental effects on the pigs and, in turn, their effect on the environment.
The airways in the barn run on a central system that pushes fresh air into each room and then out of the building. This design allows research teams to monitor what is coming in through the air (which might cause a respiratory infection) and how air quality is impacted by the pigs on the way out. Technicians can also control the airflow into each room.
The pigs are placed on different diets and studied to test the amount of greenhouse gases released from the manure as a result of each. From there, the researchers move on to test the quality manure and then of the pork produced by such diets after the pigs grow to market weight.
The manure produced by the pigs is used as a crop nutrient on the Purdue research fields, so the difference between the manures of each diet is closely monitored for impact on both the overall environment and the soil.
The swine studies are done through a partnership between Purdue, Indiana Pork, McDonald's and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Many different agricultural organizations hold interest in swine research, said Jeanette Merritt, Indiana Pork director of communications. It is important to Indiana Pork because they want to see that the knowledge is transferred from the lab to the farm and public.
"A lot of work here is with the USDA, industry partners and large feed companies who all share an interest," Seger said.
The research done concerning how to tweak swine diets to increase sustainability while maintaining quality product is a key aspect in advancing the ag industry, he added.
To celebrate the partnership between Purdue, ISDA, Indiana Pork and McDonalds, and to wrap up national pork month, McDonalds is making the McRib sandwich available simultaneously in all 50 states for the first time.
Blake and Alison Kosanovich, McDonald's owners and operators in Indiana, say this is made possible by local farmers who provide the ingredients McDonald's uses in its pork sandwiches.
"'Farm to fork'–the idea to know where your food comes from—McDonald's is doing that here in Indiana," Jordan Seger, ISDA deputy director, said. "McDonald's is a huge buyer of Indiana ag products."
"The ripple effects that farmers have in rural communities is huge," Alison said.
The Kosanoviches say their focus is to help rural communities thrive.
In 2020, McDonald's systems purchased 6,522,000 pounds of pork, 6,467,000 gallons of milk and 5,937,000 pounds of soybean oil from Indiana farmers.
"As farmers, we need partnerships like this," Merritt said.
Return to Top of Page