ISU Farm defeats swine odor through aeration

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2009 | No Comments

Researchers at the 610-acre Illinois State University (ISU) Farm near Lexington, Illinois, have been addressing the issue of manure and odor management with a number of demonstration initiatives at the facility’s 200-sow farrow-to-finish unit. The program has focused on polymer-assisted separation of manure solids from the much larger percentage of liquid in manure. Other elements include producing marketable compost from the separated manure solids and using the separated effluent for land application at controlled rates and nutrient compositions on a cornfield. Most recently, the ISU Farm has been experimenting with odor control of the separated effluent in light of complaints from neighboring property owners about objectionable smells.

Mapping for manure management

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By employing new manure mapping technologies and through their own progressive initiatives, Iowa’s Van Gilst brothers are keeping their hog farm ahead of the curve on the manure management front. The barns at the Van Gilst operation are all slatted, with eight-foot cement pits under each. The pits can hold enough manure for up to a year, though they try to pump the barns in both the spring and fall, depending on weather conditions. They are working to incorporate technology—in the form of mapping software that would record manure hauls—into their operation,
which will tell them easily and quickly what areas of the fields have been covered.

Monitoring the air

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A portable, wireless H2S detection system developed by researchers at Iowa State University will be one of the topics of discussion during the 2009 Upper Midwest Manure Handling Expo being held July 22 in Boone, Iowa. Initially, several different commercially available H2S sensors were tested by ISU researchers in a controlled laboratory environment. From those results, a prototype wireless H2S detection system was developed for testing in swine housing by
commercial slurry applicators. A two-piece prototype consisting of a battery operated sensor/transmitter and receiver was constructed. The sensor/transmitter is placed in the swine housing area before agitation/removal begins; the
operator can then monitor H2S concentrations from outside the building. An operatorprogrammed visual/audio alarm can be set to activate at a desired concentration to alert the operator of dangerous H2S conditions. Once
alerted, the operator can take action to dissipate the H2S gas. Testing confirmed that if monitored, dangerous levels of H2S gas can be dissipated by adjusting ventilation during slurry agitation and removal. This testing also showed
that eliminating above surface slurry agitation greatly reduces H2S burst releases. Additional information about the wireless H2S detection system will be provided during an educational session at the 2009 Upper Midwest Manure Handling Expo in Boone, Iowa (http://www.ag.iastate.edu/wastemgmt/expo_home.htm ). Results from field testing and H2S mitigation techniques will also be discussed by the development team.

An investigation of the success of production-based sow removal and replacement in the context of herd performance

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The purpose of this experiment was to use a retrospective case-control study to assess the success of replacement events when her productivity was greater or less than the mean for removal events attributed to problems with fertility, fecundity, or old age. A financial model sensitivity analysis was conducted and indicated a greater likelihood of economic advantage for a scenario without production-based removals in parities 1 to 6.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

There’s money in managing manure right

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Soil scientists Matias Vanotti and Ariel Szogi worked with Super Soil Systems USA of Clinton, N.C., to develop a second-generation system that met North Carolina’s environmental standards for manure management. As would be expected for new technologies, significant cost reductions were achieved by innovations and on-farm testing. The revamped system was two-thirds less expensive to build and operate than the first-generation system, which was tested in 2003. The new on-farm treatment system used solid-liquid separation and nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes. It removed high levels of several pollutants from manure wastewater, including almost all of the pathogens, odor-causing constituents and ammonia. Replacing anaerobic-lagoon-based systems with the new technology also reduced
greenhouse gas emissions by 97 percent. The new technology could help swine-producing states protect existing
jobs and keep the door open for future job expansion. This technology was featured in a chapter of “Manufacturing Climate Solutions: Carbon- Reducing Technologies and U.S. Jobs,” published in 2008 by Duke University’s Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness.

Forms of P in Different Manures and Their Impact on P Runoff and Leaching Losses from Manure Amended Soils

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Final Report submitted to the Manitoba Livetock and Manure Management Initiative. Continuous application of manure P above crop removal results in a buildup of soil phosphorus (P), which increases the risk of P runoff loss from agricultural land, leading to environmental problems such as eutrophication of surface waters. There is little or no information about the forms of manure P that are correlated with risk of P loss after manure interacts with soil, especially for prairie soils. The objectives of this study were to quantify and compare P losses from liquid swine- and solid cattle- manure treated soils after incubating for 6 weeks, and to relate P losses to manure P forms and soil test P after incubation.

Application of Air Filtration Systems in Swine Operations

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There is a significant economic advantage to maintaining a PRRS negative herd, whether it is a boar stud, sow farm, or nursery-grow-finish. As the reality of aerosol transmission of PRRS, Swine Influenza, and Mycoplasma are being more accepted, any means to prevent aerosol transmission of these agents is of great interest. Our practice has taken an aggressive approach with our producers on air filtration systems. Six farms implemented filtration in 2005, five in 2006, eleven in 2007, and eleven in 2008. An important consideration for us from the start has been that we shouldn’t expect to never have a PRRS break just because we installed air filtration. However, if we can reduce the incidence of PRRS breaks significantly, it would be good return on the investment.

Forms of P in Different Manures and Their Impact on P Runoff and Leaching Losses from Manure Amended Soils: Summary and Implications

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Extension Report Submitted to the Manitoba Livestock and Manure Management Initiative.

Continuous application of manure P at rates that exceed the rate of P removal by crops results in a buildup of soil phosphorus (P). High concentrations of soil P increase the risk of P runoff loss from agricultural land and lead to problems with surface water quality, such as excess algae growth. However, there is little or no information about the effect of applying different sources or types of manure P on the risk of P loss after manure interacts with soil, especially for Prairie soils. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to quantify and compare P losses from soil treated with four sources of liquid swine manure and four sources of solid cattle manure and to relate P runoff and leaching losses to manure P forms and soil test P measurements.

Enhanced Resistance to Bacterial Infection in Protegrin-1 Transgenic Mice

Posted in: Environment, Nutrition, Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on April 29, 2008 | No Comments

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a public health concern. It was suggested that one source of resistant pathogens may be food-producing animals. Alternative approaches are therefore needed to enhance the resistance of farm animals to bacterial infection. Protegrin-1 (PG-1) is a neutrophil-derived antimicrobial peptide that possesses activity against a wide range of bacteria and enveloped viruses. Here we report on the production of transgenic mice that ectopically expressed PG-1 and compare their susceptibilities to Actinobacillus suis infection with those of their wild-type (WT) littermates. Of the 126 mice that were challenged with A. suis, 87% of the transgenic mice survived, whereas 31% of their WT littermates survived. The PG-1 transgenic mice had significantly lower bacterial loads in their lungs and reduced numbers of pulmonary pathological lesions. The antimicrobial function of PG-1 was confirmed in vitro by using fibroblast cells isolated from the transgenic mice but not the WT mice. Moreover, differential blood cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid indicated greater number of neutrophils in PG-1 transgenic mice than in their WT
littermates after bacterial challenge. Our data suggest that the ectopic expression of PG-1 in mice confers enhanced resistance to bacterial infection, laying the foundation for the development of livestock with improved resistance to infection.

Mission 2050 – Research and Industry Infrastructure in the Year 2050 (A Conceptual Framework)

Posted in: Environment, Pork Insight Articles by admin on April 1, 2008 | No Comments

Mission 2050 is the plan to redesign and replace the animal research facilities at the University of Guelph. The focus will be on creating sustainable systems, and environmentally conscious options for poultry, swine and dairy facilities. As well as innovation, the facility will also test existing agricultural technology and alternative energy sources. The facility will examine on-farm energy sources to replace fossil fuel use. The end goal will be to create a total resource recovery system. Other areas of research will be co-product use and animal emission monitoring. The facility will be multi-disciplinary, and be used for educational training activities.