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 |  | About Us | Past Projects | Publications | Presentations
Our Vision:
Livestock Research Branch: World-class partner in delivering applied and innovative solutions for a sustainable and vibrant Alberta.
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Mission Statement:
Enable the Alberta livestock industry to use research-based knowledge and technology to enhance competitiveness.
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About Us
Who we are
This research group is no longer active. Below you can find information on projects and publications from the past years.
What we did
- Technical support a network of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) machines installed on feedlots, colonies, in feed mills, nutrition consultant offices throughout Alberta
- Collaboration in a number of research projects where NIRS is being used to provide economical proximate analysis (e.g. content of protein in wheat)
- Develop new procedures utilizing NIRS or MIR (e.g. starch content of manure in feedlots, ergot content of grains, complete feed)
- Collaboration in research projects investigating the feeding value of forage.
Why we did it
- NIRS is a rapid and low cost tool that can accurately characterize feed value of ingredients and forages. Participants in the NIRS network (as well as collaborative researchers) can use NIRS to pay fair market value for ingredients, improve accuracy and precision of formulation as well as quality control of finished feeds.
- NIRS is a secondary technology that relies on development of calibration models which requires expertise in both the technology and statistics. We provide this expertise to the network as well as research projects investigating unique uses of the technology in the Alberta livestock and crop sectors.
Past Projects
- ACIDF 2011C303F. Technical Support – NIRS Network Development
- ACIDF 2012C322F – Complete feed NIRS Calibration Validation for Alberta Livestock Industry
- ALMA 2012C007R – Innovative technologies in annual cereals for increasing carry capacity of cow calf and background operations in Alberta
- ACIDF2011C310F – Efficacy of hydrothermal reactors, enzymes and additives to increase the utilization and safety of canola meal for livestock
- ACIDF2012F070R – Develop an accurate and concise in vitro procedure to predict feeding value of processing barley grain
- ACIDF2011C306F- Benefit cost analysis of NIRS feeding initiative for the Alberta Livestock and crop industry
- FDE.09.13 – Increased use of high energy forages in commercial feedlot beef production
- 2014F041R – Advanced agronomic practises in wheat, barley and pea to maximize yield and harvestability
Publications
Peer reviewed articles
- Yang, W.Z, M. Oba, M.L. Swift and T. A. McAllister. 2014. Short Communication: Variation in response to processing, in vitro gas production and fermentation in western Canadian barley. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94, 725-729.
- Anele, U. Y., B. Refat, M. L. Swift, Z. He, Y. Zhao, T. A. McAllister and W. Z. Yang. 2014. Effects of bulk density, precision processing and processing index on in vitro ruminal fermentation of dry-rolled barley grain. Anim. Sci. Feed. Tech. 195: 28-37.
- Wang, L. F., M. L. Swift and R. T. Zijlstra. 2014. A non-calibration spectroscopy method to estimate ether extract and fatty acid digestibility of feed and its validation with flaxseed and field pea in pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 92, 4531-4539.
- Oba, M., and Swift, M.L., 2014. Short communication: effects of feeding Falcon or Tyto whole plant barley silage on milk production and feed efficiency. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94, 151-153.
- Yegani, M., Swift, M.L., Zijlstra, R.T., and Korver, D.R., 2013. Prediction of energetic value of wheat and triticale in broiler chicks: a chick bioassay and an in vitro digestibility technique. Anim. Feed Sci. and Technol. 183, 40-50.
- Wang, L.F., Swift, M.L., and Zijlstra, R.T., 2012. Development and validation of a spectroscopic method to predict wheat protein digestibility. J. Anim. Sci. 90 (Supl. 4), 415-417.
- Wang, L.F., Swift, M.L., and Zijsltra, R.T., 2012. Evaluation of energy digestibility of canola coproducts by in vitro analyses and characterization of fat digestion using spectroscopy. J. Anim. Sci. 90 (Suppl. 4), 251-253.
- Zijlstra, R.T., Swift, M.L., Wang, L.F., Scott. T.A., and Edney, M.J., 2011. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy accurately predicts the digestible energy content of barley for pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 91, 301-304.
Conferences and industry meetings
- Doce, R., V. Baron, P. Juskiw and M. L. Swift. 2014. Integration of quality traits and economic returns into forage barley breeding. Presented at the 21st Triennial North American Barley Researchers Workshop, Minnesota, MN. June 2014.
- Brown, B., S. Jeffrey, H. An, J. Untershultz, M. L. Swift and Z. Li. 2014. Benefit-cost analysis of NIRS feed initiative for the Alberta hog industry. Advances in Pork Product 25, Abstract #16.
- Jancewicz, L. J., M. L. Swift, G. B. Penner, J. J. McKinnon, K. A. Beauchemin, and T. A. McAllister. 2013. Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the relationship between fecal starch concentration and feed efficiency for feedlot cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 91 (Suppl 2): 516
- Wang, L.F., Swift, M.L., and Zijlstra, R.T., 2013. Development and validation of a spectroscopy method to predict protein digestibility. Advances in Pork Production 24, Abstract #30.
- Zijlstra, R. T., M. L. Swift, J. L. Landero, L. F. Wang and J. H. Helm. 2012. Feed quality evaluation by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for the crop-pork value chain. Advances in Pork Product 23, Abstract #13.
- Swift, M.L., 2011. Energy and protein values of weather-stressed feed grains. Proceedings of the 32nd Western Nutrition Conference, 89-96.
- Zijlstra, R.T., Swift, M.L., Wang, L., Regmi, P., Helm, J.H., and Jha, R., 2010. Rapid methods for prediction of energy values of feedstuffs for pigs. 2010 Western Nutrition Conference, 235-242.
Extension articles
Presentations
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- Baron, V.S., Doce, R.R., Swift, M.-L., Aljarrah, M., Juskiw, P.E., and Basarab, J.A. (2013). "Use of triticale as an annual forage source.", Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, January 23, 2013. (Presentation)
- Doce, R.R., Baron, V.S., Basarab, J.A., Juskiw, P.E., and Swift, M.-L. (2013). "The validity of field-scale estimated carrying capacity from plot-scale data for swath grazing systems.", CFGA Annual meeting, Olds, AB, Canada, December 8-11, 2013. (Poster)
- Juskiw, P.E., Swift, M.-L., Baron, V.S., Doce, R.R., and Nyachiro, J.M. (2013). "New tools for breeding forage barley.", ASA/CSSA/SSSA International annual meeting, Tampa, Florida, USA, November 3-6, 2013, Canadian Soc. Agron: 177-178. (Poster)
Click here for a presentation on:
- Feed value of barley: An update from the Feed evaluation NIRS project
- Prediction of barley grain feed value for swine using NIRS
- Whole plan barley NDF digestibility and its relationship with chemical constituents and DM yield
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