Enhancing the competitive value of barley in swine diets

This project is funded by Alberta Barley in collaboration with Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and the National Barley Research Cluster.

Timeline: 2019-2023

Project lead: Dr. Ruurd T. Zijlstra, University of Alberta

Alberta Barley funding: $63,496

Barley holds great value for the feed industry but it is still not the first choice for many livestock producers. This research aims to increase the competitiveness of barley for swine diets by substantiating how and why barley provides value-added benefits to swine as more than just a source of energy. Promoting barley as a healthy ingredient could help reduce the need for antibiotics in livestock diets thereby addressing the growing public demand for meat produced without antibiotics. The impact of this research will be an increase in demand for barley as an ingredient in swine feed.