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Bringing the international perspective to Ontario

LRIC’s International Research Advisory Committee (IRAC) gathered in Guelph for two days of meetings on September 25 and 26. This was my first in-person IRAC meeting and I was struck with the vast experience and breadth of knowledge the committee members brought with them. 

A session around understanding changes in Ontario’s livestock innovation landscape and identifying strategic actions to ensure long term value from Ontario’s animal research facilities included representation from government, academia, and industry. 

Some of the key takeaways on what’s important:

  • cross-sector collaboration
  • practical application of research
  • continuous investment in people and facilities
  • the ability to adapt to evolving technologies.

A highlight of the week was a tour the committee took of the University of Waterloo’s Engineering facilities. It was an impressive morning that sparked immediate inspiration for ways to link engineering research with challenges faced by livestock producers.

The tour also brought LRIC’s Engineering a Better Farm Initiative (the focus of our annual symposium last June) full circle. 
There are certainly no shortage of on-farm challenges facing livestock producers, but engaging cross-discipline research including engineering has tremendous potential to benefit the sector. 

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Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.