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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:
The Growing Pollution Problem – Putting Pollution in Perspective; Food Price, Safety, Quality and Welfare
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2002 | No Comments
Payback for animal welfare does not exist. People will refuse to eat pork if they feel the pigs were treated inhumanely, yet they will not pay more if they know they were treated right. Because of the recent food scares (such as foot & mouth and BSE), food safety is on par with price for consumers. Food safety development has been bringing confidence back up. Pollution constraints are a leading factor when it comes to cease of production among companies. Three factors primarily influence whether the consumer decides to purchase that product or not. This includes food safety (genetic modification is worrisome to many), perceived food quality (many think that current farming practices are reducing the taste of food), and pollution (too many people blame farmers). In Europe the government has even been putting a constraint on animal density in a given area. Farmers in Britain have to begin farming in what they call a
Effect of Mineral and Manure Phosphorus Sources on Runoff Phosphorus
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Moisture production of grower-finisher pigs: field measurements compared with theoretical values
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Moisture levels in intensive swine operations (ISOs) are a concern in cold climates, as excess moisture may lead to condensation and bacterial growth inside the rooms. The moisture production (MP) of two grower-finisher rooms were measured and compared to predicted values to determine the validity of moisture production equations currently used for design purposes. The CIGR (1984) equations provided the best average MP values, with an 8% difference, and for all the prediction equations used in this study, diurnal MP patterns were not predicted.
If the current MP is actually higher than predicted in swine barns, the minimum ventilation rate to control the humidity level of the room needs to be higher than the current design criteria. If the minimum ventilation rate increases, the current heater capacity may not be sufficient to compensate for the additional heat loss in cold conditions. The CIGR (1984) equations may be used to predict average MP values for design purposes, but additional work needs to be done to update the MP equations to better reflect the actual MP conditions in swine grower-finisher rooms. This will help to ensure the engineer selects the proper minimum ventilation system design for the ISO.
New Livestock Legislation: Senate File 2293
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Iowa legislature has passed another bill regulating animal production with respect to air quality and manure nutrient planting. 7 provisions are being attempted. These are facility size, air quality, manure management plans, phosphorus planning, fees, matrices and separation distances.
For facility size there are two thresholds 1) manure management plans are required for facilities with 200,00 lbs of bodyweight capacity, 2) construction permits are required for those with 625,000 pounds of bodyweight capacity. Air quality standards are to be established at the separated distances (for homes, businesses, etc) from the livestock facility. Two significant changes to manure management plans have been made. These are 1) the requirement to submit plans annually if your confinement facility has 500 animal units and new confinement facilities with 1000 animal units must obtain construction permits before building and 2) the switch to phosphorus planning. Phosphorus planning will specify the phosphorus application rates allowed based on the phosphorus index.
Fees include charges for new manure management plans, construction permits and a per animal unit compliance fee. A matrix gives local citizens a voice in that they may elect to rate new facilities for construction. The final provision is separation distances where rivers and lakes were added to the list of designated areas requiring a 200-foot setback for manure application. For more information check the IMMAG website at: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/immag
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Clean Water Act Requirements
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Your swine operation would be considered a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) if it is an animal feeding operation and it meets one of the following conditions: Large CAFO – 1) has 2,500 swine, each weighing 55 lbs or more; 2) has 10,000 swine, each weighing less than 55 lbs. Medium CAFO – 1) has 750 swine, each weighing 55 lbs or more; 2) has 3,000 swine, each weighing less than 55 lbs. If your operation has a man-made ditch or pipe that carries manure or wastewater from your operation or your animals come into contact with surface water running through the area where they are confined, then it is considered a CAFO. No matter what size your operation is, if it is an animal feeding operation then it can be designated a CAFO. If your permitting authority inspects your operation and finds that it’s adding pollutants to surface waters, your operation might need a CAFO permit.
For updated information in the requirements and legislation dealing with CAFOs visit: www.epa.gov/npdes/caforule, www.epa.gov/agriculture or contact your permitting authority by visiting: www.epa.gov/npdes/afo/statecontacts
Integrated waste treatment system for treating high-strength aquaculture wastewater II
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Pigs as Recyclers for Nutrients Contained in Bermuda Grass Harvested from Spray Fields
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