$800,000 USDA Grant to Create Integrative Data Platform for Major Swine Diseases

Sep 18, 2023

A team of University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine researchers led by Kimberly VanderWaal was recently awarded a 4-year, $800,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The study aims to create an “integrative data science” platform to predict the ability of PRRSV-2 variants to provoke an immune response and spread across farms. The platform will use interconnected machine learning tools from structural biology, computational immunology, and genomic epidemiology.

The circulation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus-type 2 (PRRSV-2) is a primary constraint to swine health and production. PRRSV-2 is a rapidly evolving RNA virus impacting roughly 30–50% of breeding farms. With an economic burden of over $600 million in the U.S. alone, PRRSV-2 is the most important endemic disease to the U.S. swine industry.

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Video: Research in Action | Swine Cluster 4 - Activity 8: Precision Feeding with Dr. Aline Remus

Research in Action is a video series from Swine Innovation Porc that highlights the people and projects driving innovation in Canada's pork sector.

In this episode, Dr. Aline Remus (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) explains how precision feeding is helping producers improve efficiency, reduce feed costs and lower environmental impacts while supporting animal health and welfare.

As part of Swine Cluster 4 - Activity 8, this research is advancing precision livestock farming by tailoring nutrition to the needs of individual pigs or groups of pigs. The project aims to reduce feed costs, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient losses, and develop practical precision feeding systems that producers can confidently adopt on-farm.

By bringing together researchers from across Canada and around the world, this work is helping transform innovative research into practical solutions for a more sustainable and competitive Canadian pork sector.