Podcast: Back to the basics of biology

The Real P3 podcast series is an initiative where pork professionals from around the globe share their thoughts, insights, and solutions to their day-to-day challenges in the pig farming and production industry.

Where are we going wrong with research?

Dr Bradley begins the discussion by asking the pertinent question: ‘What are we doing wrong with research today?’ Dr Lawrence shares his thoughts on how we sometimes forget about how “specific pieces of the puzzle […] interact with the whole body’s system”. He talks about the basic metabolism, endocrine system, digestive system, reproductive system, cardiovascular system, and how these systems interact and communicate with each other. He also highlights the extent of how much animals have changed over the last 20 years.

No silver bullet

Dr Crenshaw says that we tend to be very product-focused, and in light of various problems and challenges that the industry is facing, he says we need to ask what the physiology is that is leading to those problems, and what approaches can we take to address those changes in physiology. These things, he says, will ultimately lead us back to the right product(s) to address those challenges.

He warned we can be too myopic in our research approach – what is the impact of product X? “There’s no one silver bullet out there,” he reminded listeners. We need to get away from that thought process of ‘product A versus product B’ and rather ask what the nutrient or physiological change needs to occur that will let us achieve the objective that we are trying to achieve.

Dr Bradley and her guests discussed how we tackle this and highlighted the importance of being inquisitive, and not accepting that things have to be the way they are today.