University of Minnesota Researchers Unite at the Midwestern ASAS to Share Animal Science Research

Members of the University of Minnesota research team participated in the Midwestern meeting of the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) in Madison, WI, to share, learn, and network.  The event hosted around 1,500 guests to collaborate and develop ideas around topics in animal science research.

Dr. Ramirez-Camba presented his research at the Midwestern meeting of ASAS.

There were many topics presented at ASAS this year. Our researchers presented on swine health, swine nutrition, environmental sustainability, and other topics throughout the meeting.

Postdoc Christian Ramirez-Camba made significant contributions with two poster presentations: "Evaluation of EhV (surrogate for African swine fever virus) inactivation in corn- and soybean-based feed ingredients and diets at various times and temperatures during storage" and "Growth performance of weaned pigs fed an activated zinc oxide to replace pharmacological content of dietary zinc oxide."

PhD student Sudario Roberto Silva Jr. presented an oral presentation titled "Effects of dietary Aspergillus oryzae postbiotic during gestation and lactation on sow and progeny performance."

Sudario Roberto Silva, Jr., presents an oral presentation on postbiotics.

Graduate research assistant Hector Hernandez Espinal learned about the latest research done in the swine industry, and its applicability in the industry. He found this experience to be “very enriching” and shared some insights from the conference. He says, “Studies have shown that a higher dietary Zinc concentration in nursery pigs impairs Copper absorption, reduces feed intake, and tends to decrease growth. On the other hand, when an organic source of Zinc is provided at a lower concentration it tends to increase the feed efficiency”.

The conference helped the team grow in knowledge about research topics and helped to grow their networks in the swine industry.

The ASAS conference was a great experience for the University of Minnesota research team. Presenting on important topics, learning more about research areas, and growing connections with others in the swine industry will help advance research and make for a swine industry that can best serve the animals we care for in the future.

Thank you to the American Society of Animal Science for hosting us this year. We look forward to next year’s meeting.

To learn more about peer-reviewed swine nutrition research, click here.