Swine health and nutrition: it is much more related than you think - Dr. Dan Columbus

Hi there - When you think about improving nutrition, you typically measure your success with growth performance, but that should not always be the only goal. Today Dr. Laura Greiner talks with Dr. Dan Columbus about how nutrition affects pig health and how we should formulate our diets differently when faced with certain health challenges. Nutrient uptake can be altered during a disease outbreak, and adapting the diet to overcome this challenge is essential for maximizing production:

What you will learn:

1. Nutrient requirements from a disease perspective

2. Bacterial and enteric challenges

3. Diets affecting pig health - do’s and don’ts

4. Requirements facing a disease challenge

5. Mycotoxins

6. Pigs as a model for human health 

7. Digestive efficiency of low birth weight piglets

8. Key points

Meet the guest: Dr. Daniel Columbus is a Research Scientist of Nutrition at Prairie Swine Centre and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Columbus completed his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. from the University of Guelph in 2004, 2008, and 2012, respectively. He then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. He joined the Prairie Swine Centre in 2015 and became Research Scientist in 2016. Dr. Columbus’ research focuses on the interaction of nutrition and health and nutrient utilization in swine. He has published 29 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 70 conference abstracts, and 19 industry publications and has given 23 presentations and interviews. He was the 2019 recipient of the Canadian Society of Animal Science Young Scientist Award.

P.S.: This Wednesday, October 6, at 7:30 AM CST, we will open the virtual doors for the SwineTalks 2021 Web Conference. Don't wait until the last minute to join us, reserve your seat NOW by clicking HERE.