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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:
Technico-economical evaluation of the Polymair® heat-recovery air exchanger in a finisher hog unit on bedding and in a piglet nursery
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2005 | No Comments
The energy performance of the Polymair® heat-recovery air exchanger has been evaluated in a finisher hog unit floored with bedding, and in a piglet nursery, in the winter of 2003-2004. Two Polymair® systems were installed in a room containing four pens, each containing around 25 pigs. The two systems delivered maximum flow rates of 0,52m3 and 0,62m3/s. During the first 50 days, only one Polymair® system was enough to ventilate the whole room. Afterwards, the two systems ensured a flow rate of 8-9 liters of air/second/pig, with a relative humidity of 80%. This kept the bedding in good condition, avoiding the need to add new one. The two systems maintained more than acceptable ambient CO2 and NH3 emissions, and an average thermal efficiency of 49%. They allowed annual savings of $1155 on energy (considering $0,35/l of propane) and of $1125 on bedding handling labour, for a total of $2280. The nursery experiment was performed in two nursery units of 160 heads each. One was equipped with a Polymair® system delivering 0,38m3 of air/second and the other, with conventional bottom air extraction. In these two small rooms, air infiltrations made the ventilation only operate in case of excessive heat. This prevented the searchers from observing the expected 60 to 70% energy savings. When installing such a system, preventing air infiltration is vital, starting with the installation of nonreturn valves in its cold and warm air ducts, and of a humidity probe triggering device.
HEAT TRANSFER MODEL FOR PLUG-FLOW ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS
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Recovery of phosphorous from swine wastewater through crystallization
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Alfalfa and Reed Canarygrass Response to Midsummer Manure Application
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Hog Manure on Forages – Coarse-textured Soil (Zhoda Fertility Trial)
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Studies were initiated near Zhoda, MB, to determine the impact of the timing and rate of hog manure
applied to forage grown on coarse textured soils with high water tables. Precipitation and soil
groundwater data were also collected. In Experiment 1, manure treatments equivalent to 0, 60, 90, 120 lb
N ac-1 were applied commencing in the summer of 2002 in summer and fall after forage harvesting; a
treatment consisting of a split application of manure equivalent to 120 lb N ac-1 was also applied (60 lb
ac-1 each in summer and fall). Four replicates were arranged in a completely randomized design. In
Experiment 2, manure was applied at rates equivalent to 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 lb N ac-1 in spring
2004 in three replicates in a strip plot design. Besides forage yield and quality, the distribution of nitrate-
N and phosphorous in the soil profile was also monitored in both experiments. Forages responded strongly to manure application with respect to nutrient uptake, nutrient content, and
dry matter yield. In Experiment 1, dry matter yields increased considerably as manure application rate
increased, as did nutrient uptake. was a trend in most instances of increasing nutrient content with
increasing manure application rate. Fall-applied manure appeared to produce higher forage yields,
possibly as a result of greater nutrient losses in summer-applied treatments as well as the lack of nutrient
response when dry conditions prevailed during the summer period. Split N application was no more
effective at increasing forage productivity than the 120N treatment when considering productivity over a
production cycle (i.e. fall and summer harvest). Tming of nutrient availability is a key consideration in
attempting to maximize forage productivity. In Experiment 2, for example, it was clear that nutrient
availability was delayed somewhat relative to application date, as indicated by a delay in the
accumulation of nitrate-N in the upper soil profile. Given the lack of leaching observed in Experiment 1
(up to target N rate of 120 lb ac-1), increasing manure application rates may be feasible relative to current
recommendations. Splitting manure application rates may also provide another means of increasing
manure application rates without causing adverse effects to the environment.
Learn About Manure Management from MWPS
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MidWest Plan Service now offers a set of educational materials geared toward helping farmers handle scrutiny of environmental practices in livestock production. The new curriculum provides answers, on-farm assessment tools, and optional record keeping forms for a wide range of manure management topics. It is available printed and gathered in a three-ring binder or as a searchable CD. The Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship, or LPES, curriculum is made up of 26 lessons addressing how to achieve high environmental standards through nutrient management, animal dietary strategies, manure storage and treatment, land application, and outdoor air quality.The LPES team also has recently released a series of 24 fact sheets on the new Environmental Protection Agency regulations for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Each addresses a common producer question with a non-technical review of the regulations and recommendations for compliance. Copies of the LPES CD and notebook, as well as the CAFO fact sheets can be purchased from MidWest Plan Service. You can order online through the catalog section of the MWPS Web site at www.mwpshq.org
Colonic spirochetosis in animals and humans
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