** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE CURRENT ISSUE ADDRESSED BY THIS RESEARCH IS THE ALARMING AND INCREASING NUMBER OF PIG DEATHS, WHICH HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND PRESENTS A CRUCIAL ECONOMIC CHALLENGE FOR FARMERS AND COMMUNITIES. HIGH PIG MORTALITY LEADS TO REDUCED PORK PRODUCTION USING THE SAME RESOURCES, RESULTING IN INCREASED WASTE, HIGHER COSTS, AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON FOOD AVAILABILITY. FROM A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE, THE SWINE INDUSTRY PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTS RURAL ECONOMIES. DECREASED PRODUCTIVITY CAN AFFECT JOBS, LIVELIHOODS, AND THE OVERALL WELL-BEING OF COMMUNITIES DEPENDENT ON THE SWINE INDUSTRY. IMPROVING EFFICIENCY IN PORK PRODUCTION ENSURES THE STABILITY AND GROWTH OF THESE COMMUNITIES.THE CURRENT PROJECT AIMS TO PRECISELY DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL LEVEL OF THE AMINO ACID LYSINE IN THE DIET OF SOWS DURING PREGNANCY. FINDING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF LYSINE IS CRUCIAL FOR MAXIMIZING FETAL PIG DEVELOPMENT, LEADING TO STRONGER AND HEALTHIER PIGS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY PROVIDING VARYING LEVELS OF LYSINE DURING GESTATION AND MEASURING PERFORMANCE VARIABLES SUCH AS THE NUMBER OF PIGS BORN, THEIR BIRTH WEIGHT, AND THEIR GROWTH UNTIL REACHING MARKET WEIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, A WIDE RANGE OF BLOOD PARAMETERS WILL BE STUDIED IN PREGNANT SOWS TO DETERMINE THEIR OPTIMAL VALUES. THIS INFORMATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR MONITORING SOW PERFORMANCE AND ADJUSTING THEIR DIETS TO PROMOTE OPTIMAL HEALTH FOR BOTH THE SOW AND THEIR OFFSPRING. OPTIMAL LYSINE LEVELS IN SOW DIETS WILL BOOST PIG HEALTH, REDUCE PIG DEATHS, AND IMPROVE PORK PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY. THIS IMPROVEMENT WILL BENEFIT THE WELL-BEING OF PIGS, THE ENVIRONMENT, FARMERS, AND COMMUNITIES.