SEARCH
 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:
Effect of variety and wilting on HCN content of cassava leaves and on intake, digestibility and N retention by growing pigs
Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2007 | No Comments
Static Space Requirements for Piglet Creep Area as Influence by Radiant Temperature
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
The objective of the study was to quantify the space occupied by a litter of piglets under recommended conditions and when challenged by less comfortable radiant temperatures in an oversized, uniformly heated creep area. It was found that the area recommended for 10 average‐sized piglets at comfortable temperatures at 1 week (3.7 kg), 2 weeks (6.1 kg), and 3 weeks (8.6 kg) of age is 0.58, 0.76, and 0.91 m2, respectively.
Cooling effects and evaporation characteristics of fogging systems in an experimental piggery
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Evaporation of water to the ambient air is generally a cost-effective solution to alleviate heat
stress but is also critically discussed due to its increasing effect on indoor humidity. The
objectives of this study were to investigate the impact on indoor temperature, humidity, and
ventilation rate using a high-pressure fogging system inside a mechanically ventilated research
facility for fattening pigs. Data were sampled quasi-continuously throughout four fattening
periods, including information on water consumption and energy use of the fogging system, as
well as on the averageweight gain of the pigs. It was found that for the pigs, the positive effects
of the reduction of sensible indoor temperature exceeded the negative effects of the increased
humidity, mirrored e.g. by a reductionof the temperature–humidity index (alert situationswere
reduced from 15.5% to 0.8%) and an increased weight gain of the animals during hot summer
conditions. Main effects were achieved on days with mean daily outside temperatures above
14 1C, during which water consumption of the fogging system averaged 4.9 ld1 pig1.
The evaporation characteristics, such as the evaporative fraction as well as the time
constant for reaching a steady state, were evaluated using a transfer-functionmodel. Both were
influenced largely by temperature and saturation deficit. While the evaporative fraction was
100% during steady state and 63% of steady state was reached within 65 s during warm and dry
ambient conditions (28 1C; 53% relative humidity RH), the evaporative fraction dropped to 89%
and 65% for moderate (21 1C; 69% RH) and cold/humid (131C; 83% RH) indoor conditions,
respectively, and the time to reach steady state was nearly doubled for the latter. The
information about such evaporation characteristics is crucial for an accurate control of fogging
and ventilation.
SWINE WASTE CHARACTERIZATION: A REVIEW
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Environmental Challenges and Opportunities to Manure Handling
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
For many generations, animal manure has been used as organic fertiliser to grow various crops on Canadian farms. After numerous developments in manure treatments and technologies over the last 20 years, a large portion of swine manure produced every year is still land applied, as this agricultural practice continues to represent a sustainable way of managing nutrients. More recently, areas have emerged where swine production is concentrated and where it is no longer possible to simply handle manure as a raw crop fertiliser. Some of the factors responsible for that concentration include a decrease in the number of farms, increasing average farm size, access to feed, labour, packing plants, etc. Consequently, it is crucial to develop new production practices or manure treatment techniques to help the industry and protect the environment. Numerous research projects completed in Canada and elsewhere have clearly showed that excessive manure application rates can deteriorate soil conditions and water quality. Gaseous contaminants are also emitted from swine manure handling and contribute to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Raw swine manure can also contain pathogens representing some risks for human health. Under certain conditions, applying manure to the land can represent an environmental risk. When this risk is increased to a certain level by the combination of various factors, alternatives to land application need to be considered. Handling liquid manure still reduces labour and building capital costs, as was the case in the early eighties. However, liquid manure also brings numerous challenges and one option recently considered is the separation of feces and urine right at the source without producing liquid manure. This will slow down the manure degradation process, which will reduce odour emissions. If only few technologies were available to treat swine manure in Canada 10 years ago, there are now all kinds of options available on the market. Most of these treatment systems are based on the following basic principles: mechanical separation, aerobic or anaerobic digestion, nitrification/denitrification processes, aggregation, ultra-filtration, reverse osmoses, and biological treatment. Some of the technologies are ready to be used on farms and others are still in development. The selection of the best manure treatment system for a particular farm will require the professional assistance of competent and complementary resources. Research teams should continue to dedicate efforts in developing new production practices for the swine industry. Although more work has to be done to bring existing and promising manure treatment technologies to a level where they are more applicable and practical for farms, we need to think outside the box and review the overall production system. The potential impact of swine manure on the environment can be reduced using manure handling technologies. These technologies will improve the ambient air, water and soil quality. Continuous research and development efforts to identify new integrated strategies for manure handling will help the Canadian swine industry becoming even more sustainable.