Respiratory health status in swine producers relates to endotoxin exposure in the presence of low dust levels

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 1994 | No Comments

Nitrite plus Nitrate Recoveries in Piggery Slurry by Direct Distillation and Modified Kjeldahl Methods

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In order to evaluate the NO3 (nitrate) – NO2 (nitrite) present in aerobically treated slurry different methods had to be investigated. A combination of two methods (direct distillation and modified Kjeldahl) gave significant results.

The Watershed Protection Approach – 1993-1994 Report

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The watershed approach aims at solving environmental problems through local organizations leadership. First a diagnostic is made of the major environmental problems affecting the watershed and actions taken or proposed are presented. Different watersheds are presented with the names of the organizations involved, their problems and the solutions chosen. Best management practices to reduce sediments and nutrients, education, resource management are some of the general steps proposed and more specific measures are proposed for each watershed.

The approach of local organizations involvement is interesting as the solutions chosen to solve have to satisfy the communities and come from the communities in a specific watershed that present specific problems.

Odour Nuisance from Livestock Production Systems

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Pollution in livestock production systems: an overview / J.B. Owen — Pollution of livestock production systems — Contamination of animal feeds: a review of principal causes, detection, investigation and control of toxic contaminants / C.T. Livesey — Hazards and control of aflatoxins / A.A. El-Darawany, I. Fayez M. Marai — Effect of airborne particulates on livestock health and production / J. Hartung — Effect of gaseous pollutants on animals / M. Verstegen, S. Tamminga, R. Greers — Ionizing radiation and radioprotection in farm animals / A.M. Abdel-Samee, I. Fayez M. Marai Radiocaesium contamination of sheep in the United Kingdom after the Cherobyl accident / B.J. Howard, N.A. Beresford — Effects of salinity of drinking water on farm animals / I. Fayez M. Marai, A. Alnaimy M. Habeeb — Salmonella pollution in poultry units and associated enterprises / R.H. Davies, C. Wray — Leptospirosis / W.A. Ellis, S. McDowell — Pollution from livestock production systems — Pollution of soils and watercourses by wastes from livestock production systems / J. Webb, J.R. Archer — Pollution from fish farms / R. Goulder, O.J. CarrPollution potential and flows of nitrogen to waters and the atmosphere from grassland under grazing / S.C. Jarvis — Odour nuisance from livestock production systems / B.F. Pain — Safety of animal products in the human food chain / J.H. Pratt — Utilization and disposal of wastes from livestock production systems — Use of silage effluent as an animal food / D.C. Patterson, R.W.J. Steen — Use of animal waste as a crop fertilizer / I. Ap Dewi — Biogas production / D.A.J. Wase, K. ThayanithyComposting and reed beds for aerobic treatment of livestock wastes / A.J. Biddlestone, K.R. Gray, K. Thayanithy — Treatment of livestock slurry by aeration and algae / H.J. Fallowfield, I.F. Svoboda, N.J. Martin — Systems of storage and disposal of livestock wastes / R.J. Nicholson — Expert systems and modelling to tackle farm wastes / T.R. Cumby … [et al.] — Reduction of ammonia emission from Dutch agriculture: technical solutions / G.J. Monteny

Treatment of Dilute Manure Wastewaters by Chemical Coagulation.

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The tests were done with very diluted manure reconstituted with the mix of solid manure with water to obtain 1% total solids. Polymers (natural or synthetic) can be used for flocculation as these macromolecules attach themselves (by their electric charges in the case of livestock and poultry treatment this charge has to be positive)) to several particles in suspension, flocculation thus occurs followed by settling. The most cost effective is a synthetic polymer which removed 42% of the volatile solids at a concentration of 1,0 mg/L and the cost would be 108.46 U.S.$ per year for 1000 hogs. The synthetic polymers are also nontoxic and more easy to handle and apply than the ferric chloride which is a corrosive liquid.
The use of such chemical has to be integrated with other manure treatment or could be considered if it presents an advantage to handle the liquids and solids separately.

Diagnostiquer les risques de pollution des eaux dans les exploitations d'elevage : la methode DEXEL

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This diagnosis model has been develop to help advisors when consulting farmers and find economical solutions for manure management. The risks for environmental and water pollution are evaluated and rated for the farm investigated in order to point out the aspects that can be optimized. For farms with storage facilities problems, an analysis of the farm situation with the manure produced and the land available for manure spreading is done and a manure spreading calender is made considering the crops. The storage facilities necessary are than deducted to solve the problem.

Environmental Laws Impacting Iowa Livestock Producers.

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Using a question – answer form, the document goes through all aspects of the U.S.regulations and states regulations having an impact on Iowa livestock producers. At the Federal level, the Clean Water Act (CWA) consider water pollution under two categories: point sources and nonpoint sources. The point sources are regulated by the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) which controls by permit emissions the discharges of pollutants from a point source. Most states administer the NPDES. To the NPDES permits may be added water quality standards specific to a state that are more restrictive; the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) may review the permit emitted and in some cases disapprove it. CWA also enacted several provisions to address the non-point source pollution problems affecting rivers, lakes, and wetlands. The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) requires each state containing coastal zone (coastal areas including the Great Lakes waters) to adopt a management program for those areas. The Clean Air Act (CAA) has currently no application for the odor problems and thus considered as nuisance, they are handled under state common law. Right-to-Farm Laws provide some protection concerning nuisance lawsuits but not for pollution suits in general. Cases are presented where the right-to-farm laws offered virtually no protection (ex: introduction of a new livestock production unit particularly with the introduction of swine or poultry production). In Iowa, the Department of Natural Resources(DNR) and the Iowa Environment Protection Commission (EPC) regulate the environment, are responsible for the preparation of plans and programs for abatement, control and prevention of the pollution. DNR will deliver construction permits to allow the construction of waste control systems for a facility. All operations that use anaerobic lagoons as part of the waste control systems and all operations that use earthen waste storage other than anaerobic lagoons and have a capacity of more than 500 butcher and breeding swine (over 55 LB) which represent a total of 200 animal units have to ask for a construction permit. In some case construction permits are required by DNR and those other operation are than notified. Open feedlots will need operation permits when the capacity exceeds 2,500 butcher and breeding swine (over 55 LB) or 1,000 total animal units unless the proof is made that no waste from the feedlot is discharged into a stream or other state water. For new or expanding anaerobic lagoon facilities or earthen waste manure basins from the neighbor property are: 380 m (1,250 ft) for operations of less than 283,500 kg (625,000 LB) live animal weight (for other species than beef cattle) or 570 m (1,875 ft) when the live animal weight is superior to the values given. Guidelines for land application of waste are not mandatory and are based on acceptable levels of nitrogen and phosphorus application. No manure application should be done during frozen or snow covered soils, on land areas within 60 m (200 ft) of and draining into: a stream, surface or buried conduit for a tile line, sinkhole, shoreline of a lake or pond and well with an open surface inlet. Regulations also control carcasses disposal. Zoning ordinances are being adopted by local governments for development zoning when land use is dedicated to agriculture and the most popular features about those ordinances are the size of the production units, the definition of “farm” and the acreage associated with it and also the definition of commercial feedlots or production.

Wide-span Boom for Band-spreading of Liquid Manure

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The manure is brought to the wide-span boom flow rate controller by an irrigation pipe system. The manure can be applied between row crops such as corn (36 of them) long after the growing season has started; operation which is difficult to do with conventional manure spreaders. As the manure is spread at ground level with between vegetation little odour and nutrient emissions occur. No compaction problem is associated with this system as heavy spreader traffic is eliminated. As this system is a prototype, no long-term trials have been done with it and no results are provided to compare such system with conventional one regarding overall crop yields, labor time and overall costs per cubic meter or L of spread manure. This system has the advantage to broader the application period as less damages will be done during spring wet conditions and spreading can be done later in the growing season.

More work has to be done to integrate such system on farms. It seems to be a technology more appropriate for large production units or manure spreading contractors where large volume of manure has to be applied on relatively flat fields.

Evaluation of Soil Nitrogen Mineralization in Two Spring Barley Fields

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An important part of the nitrogen available to plant comes from the microbial activity resulting in N mineralization of the N bound to soil organic matter or crop residues. N losses to the environment will also come from N mineralization and not only for N oversupply to the plant-soil system. N mineralization will vary with agricultural practices such as N fertilization, tillage, crop rotation and manure application. An emphasis is put on the method used to evaluate the N mineralization as in situ measurements are relatively new.

The Influence of Various Pig Housing Systems and Dietary Protein Levels on the Amount of Ammonia Emissions in the Case of Fattening Pigs.

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 1993 | No Comments

5 pig houses were chosen for a total of 2600 pigs from 25 to 115kg liveweight. Ammonia emissions are collected and trapped for each day separately. The results show that for the buildings were the ventilation extracted the air from under the slatted floor, the difference between the treatments were not significant as the air movement was higher close to the manure. Differences obtained between farms are difficult to explain on the base of the design as emissions vary within the same type of floor, partly slatted, for different sir supply technique. In some cases the ambient temperature had probably an effect on the emissions. Significant differences come from the treatments with lower ammonia emission obtained with the treatment B (lower CP diet) the results being for the lower 10,0 g NH4-N/pig-day for A and 8 for B in same farm (ventilation and systems identical, partly slatted and above floor ventilation with air supplies coming from doors) and the highest being 22 g NH4-N/pig-day for A and 12 for B with in a building fully slatted with the Optimavent fresh air intake system.

No statistical analysis was done on the housing systems so it is difficult to know if the differences are significant or not. And no explanation for the variation between the different building systems is done. No enough information is given to explain those variations. Further, no information is given on ventilation rates which can have an effect on ammonia emissions as high ventilation rates will result in higher air movement and higher emissions.