MANAGING MANURE: New Clean Water Act Regulations Create Imperative for Livestock Producers

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2003 | No Comments

Nutrients from livestock and poultry manure are key sources of water pollution. Since regulations for livestock and poultry operations under the 1972 Clean Water Act were first developed, operations in general have become more concentrated and specialized. Ever-growing numbers of livestock and poultry per farm and per acre have increased the risk of water pollution, with manure being disposed of in ways not adequately addressed in the original regulations. In 2001, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) proposed new regulations that would compel operations with the largest number of animals to manage their manure according to a nutrient management plan. These regulations were signed by the
Administrator of EPA on December 15, 2002, and are expected to be implemented in 2003. The new regulations were called for in the Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations, developed jointly in 1999 by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and EPA. The Strategy outlined USDA and EPA actions to minimize water quality and public health impacts from improperly managed animal
manure. Much of the Strategy’s focus was on the largest animal feeding operations. For smaller operations, a nutrient management plan would be recommended but not required.

Measurement and Analysis of Dust Spatial Distribution in a Mechanically Ventilated Pig Building

Posted in: Environment by admin on July 28, 2002 | No Comments

Dust has been implicated as a major contributor to the increased incidence of respiratory disorders among pig workers. Unlike gaseous contaminants, dust is not uniformly distributed within pig buildings. Dust spatial distribution is an important variable in the understanding of dust transportation and the implementation of appropriate control strategies. There is a lack of data on dust spatial distribution in livestock con”nement buildings because of a lack of adequate sampling techniques. In this project, a multi-point sampler was used to measure the dust spatial distribution in a mechanically ventilated pig building. Experimental results show that there was a high variation in the dust spatial distribution within the mechanically ventilated pig building. Ventilation rate and diurnal change of weather a!ect the dust spatial distribution. It was shown that dust source control such as oil sprinkling at regular frequencies was an e!ective measure to control the dust levels. Room air cleaning such as dedusters can be used to reduce dust concentration and change dust spatial distribution.

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Regulatory Changes for Confined Feeding Operations: New Rules, New Attitude

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2002 | No Comments

In July of 2001, the Government of Alberta announced, effective January 1, 2002, its intention to create a provincial regulatory system for Alebrta’s confined feeding operation (CFOs). CFOs have been defined as fenced or enclosed areas where livestock are confined for the purpose of growing, sustaining, finishing, or breeding by means other than grazing. As a result, Alberta’s hog production will now fall under this system.

The various pieces of legislation that form the backbone of this new regulatory system have been developed by Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and will be responsible for the Alberta Operations Act and the various associated regulations and standards. Both the approval and compliance processes and requirements set out under the Act, however, will be delivered by the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NCRB). As currently envisioned this will include recieiving and reviewing applications for new or expanding CFOs, providing public hearing when unresolved concerns remain, and ensuring that ther is ongoing compliance with the conditions contained within and approvals issued.

Mineralization of Manure Nutrients

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CONSTRUCTED WETLAND DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE FOR SWINE LAGOON WASTEWATER TREATMENT

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Methanogenic population dynamics during startup of a full-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor treating swine waste

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Airways inflammation after exposure in a swine confinement building during cleaning procedure

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METHANE EMISSIONS OF DIFFERENTLY FED DAIRY COWS AND CORRESPONDING METHANE AND NITROGEN EMISSIONS FROM THEIR MANURE DURING STORAGE

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Seasonal Variation in Microbial Communities and Organic Malodor Indicator Compound Concentrations in Various Types of Swine Manure Storage Systems

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Le phosphore dans le sol et dans l'eau

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Le phosphore, un nutriant essentiel A la vie des plantes et des animaux, peut nuire A la qualitA