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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:
IMPACTS OF A MANURE COMPOSTING PROGRAM ON STREAM WATER QUALITY
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2006 | No Comments
Sorption of Inorganic and Total Phosphorus from Dairy and Swine Slurries to Soil
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Ball-bite water drinkers save producers money & promote environmental sustainability
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Hog producers searching for ways to reduce water consumption, greenhouse gases, and operating costs should look no further than a demonstration farm in southern Alberta. A recent study conducted on the farm involved the practical and economical replacement of standard water nipple drinkers with ball-bite nipple drinkers in a 3,000-head commercial grower barn operated by Dennis and Maggie McKerracher. Ball-bite nipple drinkers reduce water usage because the pig must have the whole valve in its mouth and then bite down to release water. In contrast, a pig can easily release water from a standard drinker by simply nudging the drinker, thereby wasting water and increasing manure volume. Over the course of the one-year trial, the ball-bite drinker sections of the barn used 35% less water than the standard drinker sections, as measured by the farm’s water monitoring system. Thus, it was evident that ball-bite drinkers saved water. The real question was how much money did they save? Research conducted by the George Morris Centre compared the demonstration farm’s net income with and without the installation of the technology. Financially, replacing standard drinkers with ball-bite drinkers proved to be an excellent return on investment. The initial cost for the purchase of ball-bite drinkers ($12.60 each) was higher than for standard drinkers ($6.90 each). However, the decline in water usage on the farm resulted in decreased manure volume (estimated to be 35% lower), decreased manure handling costs and reductions in electricity costs for pumping water, which more than offset the capital cost of the drinkers. The technology required no change in infrastructure or management techniques. Our research suggested that replacing the standard drinkers with ball-bite drinkers resulted in a payback period of approximately 3.5 months and an increase in annual net income of $1,584 on a $463 investment. The analysis was based on an operation with 500 pigs per cycle and one nipple drinker for every 15 pigs. In addition, there were significant non-financial benefits from the technology, such as reduced water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from fewer manure applications. There were also barn management benefits from knowledge of water consumption patterns, such as early disease and illness detection as well as identifying water leaks in the system. Overall, the strength of this technology lies in the fact that it is simple, environmentally friendly, and profitable.
Questions relatives aux eaux de surface
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Les eaux de surface – lacs, rivières, ruisseaux et autres milieux humides – couvrent près de 20 % du territoire provincial et sont un élément essentiel de notre identité et de notre patrimoine manitobains. La protection de ces ressources est importante pour tous.
Reducing phosphorous release and maximizing overall revenue of swine production using a new computerized method
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Reducing the release of nutrients that could become pollutants, and preventing the abuse of non-renewable resources are essential components of sustainable swine production. The excretion by the pigs of certain nutrients like nitrogen (N) and numerous mineral elements depend on the intake of these nutrients, their availability and on how the nutrient supply corresponds to animal needs. This research was designed to develop a new computerized method for the formulation of the diet of growing pigs, considering simultaneously economical, environmental and zootechnical objectives. It is possible to reduce excess N and P supply through the computerized method developed with this project. Moreover, it is not always necessary to maximize animal performances in order to maximize revenue. Finally, it is possible to further reduce the P supply in the diet of growing pigs by taking into account the metabolisms of P and Ca simultaneously, since they interact within the overall metabolism. During the months studied in Québec, increasing the cost of formulations by only 1% reduced the release of P and N by 5% and more. Also, depending on the production context studied, one obtains maximum net revenue by reducing the protein consumption by an amount between 6 and 30% of the maximum needs.” However, further research is needed to improve the accuracy of our results. Diminishing the release of potentially polluting nutrients must start with a diet formulation that minimizes nutrient excess by adjusting nutrient supply to animal needs, and with the goal of optimizing revenue rather than performances.
MODELING SOURCES OF GASEOUS EMISSIONS IN A PIG HOUSE WITH RECHARGE PIT
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Dewatering of phosphorus extracted from liquid swine waste
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