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:
Options for Farms that Produce more Manure than their Landbase can Handle.
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 1996 | No Comments
As the farm increase their production, in many cases the manure produced will exceed the capacity of their landbase to receive it without causing environmental concerns. Guidelines on the livestock densities per acre (5 sows or 4 feeder hogs / acre which represents 12 sows or 10 feeder hogs / ha) are presented and when the density of 1 livestock unit / acre or 2.5 livestock units /ha is exceeded, a nutrient management plan should be realized in order to determined if higher levels of manure can be applied safely. In cases where the livestock density exceed the value presented and a nutrient management plan show that the manure produced exceed all the crops and soil needs, further steps have to be taken to handle the excess manure properly and some alternatives have to be studied and a selection can be made between different alternatives. 1. to reduce the amount of manure nutrient that have to be handle (by improved nutrient conversion from the feed given to the animals, or by reducing the number of animal units on the farm, or by removing nutrients in the manure (treatments)); 2. to apply more manure on the same land using a nutrient management plan (by reducing the use of commercial fertilizer, by reducing the use of organic nutrient sources, by increasing the crop uptake or nutrients (crop rotations), by allowing nutrients buildup in the soils, by improving the absorbing ability of the soil); 3. to increase the land surface available for manure spreading (by purchasing of more land on the same or a different property deed, by renting land on a long or short-term lease, or by manure application agreement); 3. to increase the accessibility of the landbase for manure application (by using different spreading techniques and equipment that allow longer period for manure spreading); 4. to treat the manure (by separation, by composting, by odour reduction that can allow for manure spreading closer to residences, by increasing nutrient concentration that would lower the volumes that have to be handle). Proper planning has to be realized before construction or expansion is realized in order to evaluate the landbase availability.
Some of the solutions presented such as nutrient buildup should not be included as it is a very short-term solution that is not environmentally sustainable. Such buildup can result in environmental consequences and a reduction of the land available for manure spreading on a mid to long-term basis.
Elevage porcin et bruit: evaluation de l'impact sonore des porcheries
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Nursery Feeder and Stocking Rates
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Air quality and respiratory responses
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
The advent of environmentally controlled animal housing has had many helpful repercussions in improving livestock yields. However, this system also has drawbacks, particularly regarding the indoor air environment of the housing area. Confinement livestock buildings have shown potential for dramatically increased concentrations of dust particles, odour, and gases. Furthermore, worker satisfaction and performance are affected by dusty and odorous work environments. Although the characterization of dust and the pathology of the health problems caused by air quality in swine building airspaces are unclear, there is little argument that dust, at typical concentrations, has an adverse effect on the health and comfort of animals and humans. Different dust control methodologies have been researched world-wide. In this study a canola sprinkling program was implemented in an attempt to reduce airborne particles and determine the effect this reduction in airborne particles would have on human subjects. It was the objectives of this study to determine if (1) air quality control strategies an be directly evaluated measuring responses of human subjects, and if (2) improved air quality can alter the human response in swine building environments. In this study 20 human subjects naA?ve to hog barn confinement facilities, were exposed to two different hog confinement building air environments. The control group experienced a typical animal housing air environment, whereas the treatment group experienced an animal housing environment sprinkled with canola oil. Measurements were taken on the environment in each room for each study day and the human response attributes measured were Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1), Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), white blood count (WBC), methacholine challenge (MC) and nasal cell counts (NL). The results of this experiment indicate that human responses can be used to evaluate air quality conditions within animal housing environments.
Cryosurgical dehorning of calves: a preliminary study.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Effects of lighting on the welfare of domestic poultry: a review.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Animal and Fed Factors Determining N and P Excretion with Pig Manure
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
The Ontario nutrients situation is rapidly covered presenting that for a sow in inventory /year, 18 pigs for slaughter are produced. The resulting nutrients excretion for such production is approximately 114 kg of N, 23 kg of P and 70 kg of K excreted in the manure and of those amounts, around 70% of N, 65% of P and 70% of K excreted in the manure come from the grower-finisher pigs. The determining factors for N and P excretion are also presented as being the difference between the supply of nutrients and the animal requirements and attributed to feed usage, amino acids (Aas) and P levels and digestibility, the pigs maintenance requirements, the Aas balance and the retention rate of N and P. Different models that predict the N and P excretion in the manure are discussed. A model based on input/output nutrients would be a good tool at individual pig farm unit to evaluate the nutrient balance.