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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Farmers split over livestock expansion virtues
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2000 | No Comments
Farmers are split regrading livestock expansion in Manitoba, some see it as an opportunity and others view it as an annoyance. Varying points have been heard by a livestock review panel examining livestock expansion in Manitoba over th past month. Advocates for intensive hog operations believe they diversify the economy can create future livelihood in farming, and investment in the livestock industry are crictical to the province’s economy. While opponents, state hog barns hurt property values and destroy neighbourhood harmony.
An Alternative Approach to Manure Collection: The Conveyor Belt System
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The key to a successful swine waste management system is to produce less waste and/or produce some valuable from it. One system that combines these is the installation of manure collection belts underneath the flooring.
The idea is that fresh manure will drop from the pens and land on the tilted belt. The urine will then drain off and be transported elsewhere while the fecal matter will remain, where a drying process will occur. This system has several advantages including reduced ammonia and odour emissions because of the separation of the two kinds of waste and manure transport becomes easier and cheaper as the manure is drier. This system is also low maintenance, the belt life ranges from 5 to 10 years because of its durability, and finally there is greater flexibility because dry manure can be used as fertilizer, as soil amendments such as compost, or as fuel to be burned for energy production.
The question with any new technology is the feasibility for producers. Will it be practical and economical for the farm? The poultry industry has used this system for many years but the economic feasibility for pork producers is still being researched. Estimates suggest the belt will increase the cost of the barn to $5/pig place but that this would be offset by the savings in no longer needing a large lagoon or spray field and the cheaper transportation.
Human health effects of dust exposure in animal confinement buildings
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Options Report: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Canadian Agriculture
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In response to the Kyoto Protocol, Canadaa
Baseline Environmental Data Collection for Research and Production Facility
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Introduction
Potential environmental impacts associated with intensive livestock operations are recognized as a major factor limiting the establishment of these
operations in the Prairies. To determine the true environmental impacts of an intensive livestock
operation, one must compare the change in environmental conditions before and after the facility is constructed and in operation. The
PSCI Elstow Research Farm is included in this study.
Objectives
To collect environmental data for a “pre-operationa
Environmental Injustice in North Carolina's Hog Industry
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Concerns have been expressed about the development of North Carolina’s hog industry in poor and non-white communities of the state. Approximately 2,500 North Carolina hog opeations locations were examined in relation to racial, economic and water source and characteristics of census block groups. Poisson regression was used to determine relationships between racial, economic and water supply to intensive hog operations after adjusting for population density.
There were approximately 7.2 more hog operations in areas in the rngae of 21-100% poverty as compared to areas with less than 5% poverty, after making adjustments for population density. Areas with non-white residents between 8.8 – 100% were five times more likely to have a hog operation within 1-2 miles of their residence, as compared to areas with less than 5 % of the population represented by non-white residents after adjusting for population density. Hog operations were reported the greatest in areas of high poverty and a large non-white contingent, as well these operations were more likely to be operated by a corporate organization, opposed to independent producers.
Odor Treatment- Biofiltration
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A biofilter uses moist organic materials to absorb and then biologically degrade odorous compounds. The materials that have been used for biofilter construction include compost, soil, peat, chipped brush and bark and their depth typically ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters. They have been shown to be effective at treating essentially all of the odors associated with composting, including ammonia and a wide range of volatile organic compounds. In many cases biofiltration is both the least expensive and most effective treatment option in controlling odor.
Agricultural lung diseases
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