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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:
Evaluation of Commercial Manure Additives to Control Odors from Swine Barns
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 1997 | No Comments
The protocol is presented and some analysis results are shown to validate this protocol. Only two buildings are compared, one treated and one that hasn’t been treated. The validity of the results would be increased if more than one building was used to test each additives.
Analyse olfactive : du nez humain au nez electronique. (Olfactive Analysis : from human nose to electronic nose)
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Smell plays a great role in our feeling of comfort and the appreciation of odour is greatly subjective. The human odour analysis is a very complex process linking the olfactive epithelium in the nasal cavity to the brain by nervous stimulation. For qualitative analysis the human nose is still the best tool and is reserved to “good noses”. For quantitative analysis where the odour intensity is measured, the dynamic dilution olfactometer is the more accurate method for now. Using a panel of persons, odour dilution is done according to a specific protocol and the responses of the panel is analyzed to evaluate the odour intensity. This method is in constant development and is considered a worldwide reference for normalization recommendations; odour units per m3 are used when odour intensity is evaluated.
In the last 10 years considerable work has been done to develop electronic noses. Many “chemical sensitive” materials with specific physical and chemical properties have been developed to react to the odour chemical components. With some materials, the reactions will produce a change in their electric resistance (MOS: Metal Oxide Sensor) or in their conductance (CP: conducting polymer) or with the QCM (Quartz Crystal Microbalance) and the SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor) a change in the oscillation frequency of the material will be measured depending of the mass of the adsorbed substance. The analysis of the signals obtained with these materials is very complex. In selecting and developing a nose it is important to consider if the results obtained are consistent over a number of samples, in time for a specific sample, and also for a sample from one machine to another(especially for comparisons between laboratories) and also to make sure that the nose is sensitive but robust and has a good lifetime. The results obtained with the nose have t be well analyzed and various methods are available.
The electronic noses are used in the food industry, the cosmetic industry and in environment to measure very specific chemicals.
This article is very interesting and gives a lot of information necessary to understand better all the processes in human smell and electronic nose. The dynamic dilution olfactometer is the method considered internationally as the electronic noses are developed for more and more applications.
Anti-pollution groups target farm waste
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Four new anti-pollution groups formed on the weekend in the London area mostly in reaction to the closing of many of lake Huron’s prime beaches. They go after farm operations, faulty septic sewage systems of cottages and residences and want to bring in the toughest environmental laws.
In the meantime in Huron County, hog farmers announced that they plan to put up their own regulation system to deal with “their few bad citizens”. An hotline is to be put up and complaints about pork farmers will be analyzed and handled by a peer group. That can go up to the Ministry of Environment if the faulty farmers don’t take action and fix the problem . A manure spill in the Stephen Township was successfully handled that way last week. Also a scientific study will be backed by the producers to identify the pollution sources of Lake Huron’s beaches.
The Huron County pork producers consider that they have a share of the problem but that the attention of the environmental groups should be also on the pollution problems coming from septic tank systems which is the main treatment system for rural residences.
Joe Gleason (environmental activist) presented two bylaws directed to septic systems homeowners and farmers. The 1st one requiring yearly inspection and certification of septic systems and the 2nd one requiring that the review and certification that the farm practices are environmentally proper. In both cases a $1 000-a-year environmental tax would be paid if the homeowner or the farmer don’t go through with the inspection and certification process.
Gleason also calls for meetings and other group set ups to support and lobby the bylaws. He also wants to set up a Web site to share information about pollution.
Two different things are happening: environmental activist groups’ organization and farmers’ organization. Even if measures are taken by farmers, the groups don’t seem to consider it and go ahead with their bylaw projects. As in many case the communication and the will to work together lack. Solution will come by proposal endorsed by both parties.
Estimates of Volumes and Exposed Surface Areas of Stored Animal Manures and Slurries in England & Wales
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Estimates of animal manure (solid material) and slurry (liquid material) stored on farms are needed by
the Ministry of Agriculture , Fisheries & Food (MAFF) for compiling national inventories of gaseous
emissions . Data needed for this purpose include the total volume and surface area of stored manures and slurries from dif ferent livestock species . Existing sources of data were reviewed but have limitations in the context of an emissions inventory . Suppliers of prefabricated stores were approached for numbers and sizes of stores sold since 1970 . ADAS pollution control consultants made informed estimates of the geographic distribution of methods of storage in use in England & Wales for manure and slurry from dairy cows , other cattle and pigs . This information was combined with June 1992 census figures to provide estimates of volumes (raw and diluted) and exposed surface areas of stored manures and slurries . ADAS livestock consultants were used to interpret census data and provide estimates of the distribution of poultry manure handling methods . A computer spreadsheet was used to store and process this data and is available to allow future adjustments or sensitivity analyses . In this paper , these estimates are reported on a national basis but they were originally gathered separately for each of 15 areas and appended to a report produced for MAFF . These detailed figures are available on request . The majority of diluted livestock slurry is stored in earth-banked lagoons , with an estimated total volume of 15.5 Mm 3 and an estimated surface area of 7.0 Mm 2 . The total volume of stored solid manure is 14.9 Mm 3 with an estimated surface area of 11.9 Mm 2 .
The estimates were compared with data from other sources and show an acceptable level of agreement
Finding the Optimum Shipping Weight
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Temperature requirements for pigs
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Pigs, like all animals, have an ability to live in a variety of thermal environments. Although pigs can adapt so some degree to different thermal environments, there is a cost to production associated with keeping them outside their comfort zone. During cold stress, pigs consume more feed to maintain their core body temperature (the temperature of their vital internal organs). The extra feed consumed is not used for body weight gain. On the other end of the scale, heat stress will reduce feed intake in the pig; production is reduced in the case of the lactating sow because of the reduction in milk production. It is also observed that pigs heat stressed in the growing phase are fatter. There are many factors, which influence the thermal environment of the pig. Some of the more obvious are the temperature outside the barn and artificial heating in the barn. Others that are less obvious include stocking density in the pen, type of flooring and feed intake; however, there are many more. Most of these factors can be manipulated in some way by the producer or by the pig itself to reduce the effects of thermal stress. Although there are values in books, which indicate the optimal temperature ranges for pigs of different body weights and production phases, being able to recognize signs of cold or heat stress in your pigs is the best way to adjust the set point temperature and ventilation rate in your barn rooms.
Comparison of Heat Lamp to Heat Pad Creep Heat in Farrowing Units
Posted in: Energy by admin on | No Comments