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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:
Dietary Particle Size and Nutrient Supply Affect Nitroegn Excretion
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2001 | No Comments
Diets based on barley and peas ground to two particle sizes and with one of two diet formulations were fed to cannulated grower pigs. Energy digestibility was effected by particle size but not diet formulation. Total nitrogen excretion was affected by diet formulation, but not partilce size. Reducing particle size from 900 to 600 mm increased total tract and ileal energy digestibility by 3-10%, respectively. Reducing particle size from 900 o 600 mm did not alter urinary or total nitrogen excretion, but reduced fecal nitrogen excretion by 11%, indicating that particle size reduction improved nitrogen digesyibility but did not reduce total nitrogen excretion. Reducing particle size was effective in reducing feacl but not total nitrogen excretion. Diet formulation is more effective in reducing nitrogen excretion.
Studies of Seepage Beneath Earthen Manure Storages and Cattle Pens in Manitoba
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Overview
Over the past four years, research has been undertaken in Manitoba by the provincial Department of Conservation and the University of Manitoba to examine the potential for impacts on groundwater quality from seepage beneath earthen manure storages and seasonal cattle pens. In this report we present some of the results of these studies and discuss the potential for groundwater quality impacts from these facilities. While the paper has been divided into two separate discussions, the theme of each part is very similar an examination of the rates and concentrations of downward seepage of contaminants beneath areas where manure is concentrated for lengthy periods of time. Both parts of this report also focus on contaminant movement in areas underlain by clays and glacial tills, materials with relatively low permeability that are generally considered to provide good protection for underlying aquifers.
Introduction
There has been a dramatic increase in hog production in North America in recent years. In the last five years the industry has experienced 100% growth in Manitoba, and this trend of rapid expansion is expected to continue. In 1997, over three million hogs were raised in the Province, and sold for an estimated $1.25 billion (Manitoba Pork Council, 2001). Earthen manure storage structures are commonly used in Manitoba to hold liquid hog manure. The primary advantages of earthen storages are their low cost relative to above-ground facilities and the flexibility to design and construct earthen storages to match the needs of the livestock operation. A potential disadvantage is that earthen storages will leak unless they are lined with an impermeable membrane. If a storage is underlain by an aquifer, leakage may result in contamination of groundwater. In 1998, the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation (Manitoba Regulation 42/98) was proclaimed as part of Manitobaa
Effect of Phytase on Production Paramaters and Nutrient Availability in Briolers and Laying Hens: A Review
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An increase in poultry production in recent years has led to a greater use of poultry manure as fertilizer, which has in turn increased the amount of phosphorus runoff from fields fertilized with poultry manure. Phosphorus excretion in poultry manure can lead to water pollution when manure is used as fertilizer. The need to maintain dietary phosphorus levels while redcuing excretion in poultry manure has led to the increase in the application of phytase to poultry feed in recent years. The use of phytase reduces phosphorus excretion in poultry manure by allowing the birds to utilize more of the phytate phosphorus. Phytate phosphorus has the ability to complex with cations such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and nitrogen and certain gastrointestinal proteases, thus reducing the availability of these cations and of amino acids. The use of phytase may free these cations and proteases bound in phytata phosphorus complexes and improve production parameters and body structure characteristics in broilers and laying hens, such as body weight, bone ash content, feed consumption, egg weight, and eggshell quality.
Environmentally Superior Waste ManagementTechnologies
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Discussions around the environmental concerns in relation to animal waste management, especially the lagoon/spray field technology used in the pork production industry, have led to an Agreement made between the Attorney General of North Carolina and Smithfield Foods, Inc. This agreement was the funding for an a
Construction of a Facility for Lab-Scale Testing of Stored Livestock Manure
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A lab-scale manure testing facility has been constructed. The facility consists of 10 airtight manure storage vessels housed in an environmentally controlled chamber. Airflow to each storage vessel is regulated to control the oxygen level in the stored manure. The headspace gas may be sampled and monitored through a grid of Teflon tubing. Manure samples can also be collected from various manure depths from each vessel. The facility allows for conducting various tests on manure, including the study of odour and greenhouse gas emissions from stored storages, waste breakdown characteristics under various storage conditions, and the effectiveness of different manure management technologies and feeding strategies.
Meeting Manure Odor Head On
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There are a number of existing beneficial management practices livestock producers can now use to potentially reduce manure odor, and many more are currently being researched to evaluate their effectiveness. For most operations, improving odor management requires a combination of several strategies because livestock odor is influenced by many factors, which include: adjusting animal diets; considering the site and facility operations; options for manure storage and treatment; and applying manure to land. This fact sheet deals with what options producers can consider for reducing odor when choosing a site, designing livestock facilities and/or storing and treating manure at those facilities. Furthermore, a number of researchers worldwide are developing and testing many promising technologies for reducing odor. These include the use of oil sprinkling, biofilters, additives and composting. Private and public researchers in North America and Europe are investigating many potential approaches to reduce manure odor, such as electrical and electrochemical processes, ozonation, ultrasound, a membrane filtration system that can handle thick slurries, and resonant shock waves. Research is underway to measure manure quality and odor emissions from livestock operations. It will compare manure treated with various composting methods and raw manure. This research is part of an industry/government odor control initiative to minimize odor emissions from livestock operations. This fact sheet is part of a series on odor and odor reduction for livestock operations from Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. Copies of the other fact sheets in this series and more information on odor is available at the AAFRD web site at www.agric.gov.ab.ca.
Dietary Protein and fermentable Fiber Affect Notrogen Excretion
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Nitrogen excretion is a concern because of its potential impact on the environment inside and outside of he barn. The effects of reducing dietary protein content and the inclusion of dietary fermentable fiber sources on reducing urinary nitorgen excretion were additive, together resulting in a 55% reduction. Urinary nitrogen excretion could be predicted from plasma urea (PU) concentration. For low compared to high protein diest, urinary and total nitrogen were reduced 27% and 16%, respectively, while nitrogen rentention was reduced 7%. Lower total nitrogen exctretion may reduce land base needed to apply manure in a sustainable manner. Lower urinary nitrogen excretion will reduc ammonia emissions inside and outside the barn. Models to predict urinary nitrogen excretion may be useful to access nitrogen staus on farms.