Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast #30 - Can we lower nitrogen emissions without decreasing performance in growing pigs?

Nitrogen and ammonia emissions are a constant concern for animal sustainability as we increase the amount of pork produced around the world. However decreasing nitrogen emissions is often done by reducing the amount of crude protein fed, which can decrease performance. In this episode, Dalton Humphrey and I talk about his study providing benzoic acid to growing pigs to see how effective it is at decreasing emissions without hindering average daily gain. 

Meet the guest:

Dalton Humphrey is a Ph.D. student at Iowa State University with Dr. Laura Greiner studying swine nutrition. His dissertation work focuses on the branched-chain amino acid requirements of nursery pigs and lactating sows. Dalton graduated with his M.S. in Animal Science in 2021 under the mentorship of Dr. Greiner, where his research investigated the impacts of diet on the nutrient excretion and gas emissions of grow-finish pigs.