A Professor with the University of Manitoba suggests improved canola varieties and modern processing techniques have made canola meal a much more viable source of protein for nursery pig rations.
Canola meal is the second most popular source of protein for swine rations.
Dr. Martin Nyachoti, a Professor with the University of Manitoba and Head of the Department of Animal Science, says canola meal is considered a protein supplement because it has about 40 percent protein but it also brings other nutrients to the ration such as a very high level of phosphorus and a significant amount of energy.
We see canola meal as being complimentary to soybean. It has slightly less protein than soybean meal and it has slightly less of one of the more important amino acids, called lysine, but is does have high levels of sulfur amino acids which are also equally important so the two are complimentary when they are put together.
The perceptions I think have been that you can’t use a lot of canola meal. What I’ve heard people says is that it has a lot of fibre component. It is true that canola meal used to have high levels of what we call antinutritional factors but the new canola varieties and the pulsing techniques that are used to produce canola meal have taken care of many of those concerns and we really don’t think that the high fibre is a problem as long as the diets are formulated properly.
~ Dr. Martin Nyachoti, University of Manitoba
Dr. Nyachoti says, from a profitability standpoint, the value of including higher levels of canola meal in nursery pig diets will depend on the economics of the other ingredients that are used in the diets. He says, considering there is a lot of canola meal produced in Manitoba and in western Canada, the economics would favor its utilization just because we have a lot of it around.
