K-State Opens Swine Nursery Facility, Hails Research Benefits to Producers

Kansas State University animal scientists are hailing the opening of a new swine nursery facility on the north side of the university’s Manhattan campus as another step toward improving profitability and efficiency for swine producers in Kansas and beyond.

Joel DeRouchey, a swine specialist with K-State Research and Extension, said the new facility at the university’s Swine Research and Teaching Center will be used to study the best ways to manage nursery pigs, or those who have been weaned but not yet ready for the finishing facility.

“One of the exciting things about this facility is that it gives us more pens and more research capabilities,” DeRouchey said. “So, along with our graduate students, we will be able to use this facility for undergraduate research experiences in animal science.”

Jason Woodworth, a research professor in K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry who helped to lead the swine nursery project, said much of the work in the facility will be to estimate the nutrient requirements and evaluate feed ingredients for optimal growth of nursery pigs.

“That could be determining the proper levels of amino acids to include in their diet, or it could be studying the pig’s response to different energy levels,” Woodworth said. “We’ll be looking at how these pigs grow, and particularly their response to different feed ingredients that we might feed in a nursery, such as specialty protein products or lactose sources.”