Hog Barns Research Articles

Opportunities to implement manureshed management in the Iowa, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania swine industry.

The U.S. swine industry is diverse, but opportunities exist to strategically improve manure management, especially given much of the industry's vertical integration. We investigate opportunities for improving manureshed management, using swine production examples in Iowa, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania as a lens into historical trends and the current range of management conditions. Manure management reflects regional differences and the specialized nature of hog farms, resulting in a large range of land bases required to assimilate manure generated by these operations. Selected representative farm scenarios were evaluated on an annual basis; farm-level manuresheds were largest for Pennsylvania sow farms and smallest for North Carolina nursery farms. Compared with nitrogen-based manuresheds, phosphorus-based manuresheds were up to 12.5 times larger. Technology advancements are needed to promote export of concentrated nutrients, especially phosphorus, from existing "source" manuresheds to suitable croplands. The industry is dynamic, as revealed by historical analysis of the siting of hog barns in Pennsylvania, which are currently trending toward the north and west where there is greater isolation to prevent the spread of disease and a larger land base to assimilate manure. Industry expansion should focus on locating animals in nutrient "sink" areas.

Efficiency of the Integrated Nitrogen Removal Device to Remove Ammonia in a Hog House

It is crucial to explore new methods to deal with ammonia pollution in hog barns. In this experiment, ammonia gas generated from the decomposition of nitrogenous organic matter, such as feed and manure in hog barns, was studied. Growing environmental parameters monitored included temperature, humidity, and ammonia nitrogen concentration. For 92 days between March and May, ammonia emissions were characterized by monitoring and collecting the ammonia concentration during the selected time. The results showed that the average temperature in the hog house was 18.2 ± 2.7°C, the humidity was 62.7 ± 0.3%, and the average ammonia concentration range was 17.7∼23.1 mg m−3. The collected ammonia-nitrogen-containing wastewater that entered the denitrification device showed 173, 232, 201, and 280 mgNH4-N/L, respectively. An integrated denitrification device with anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria as a functional strain was used for denitrification treatment. Through the change of ion concentration in the incoming and outgoing water, an 85.5% average denitrification efficiency was calculated according to the denitrification reaction chemical formula. Thus, the results presented here provide data support for the future use of microbial denitrification equipment to treat ammonia in hog houses.

Hog Barns and Neighboring House Prices: Anticipation and Post‐Establishment Impacts

The impact of large‐scale hog barns on residential property values is at the forefront of local concerns about livestock development. In this article, I examine the impact of hog barns on house prices in an intensive production region of Manitoba, Canada. Timing of barn establishment and precise locations of houses and barns are used to gain a better understanding of the dynamic impacts of hog barns on house prices. I find that houses within 2 km of a hog barn sell for 5.7% less than similar houses located a little farther away from a barn. Quasi‐myopic specifications indicate that house prices fall by 6.2% up to three years prior to barn establishment, consistent with market anticipation of the future location of hog barns. Accounting for anticipation increases the post‐establishment discount to 8%, suggesting that ignoring anticipation of new barn establishment biases estimated post‐establishment impacts downwards.

A health metadata-based management approach for comparative analysis of high-throughput genetic sequences for quantifying antimicrobial resistance reduction in Canadian hog barns

New Canadian regulations have required that all use of antibiotics in livestock animal production should be under veterinary prescription and oversight, while the prophylactic use and inclusion of these agents in animal feed as growth promoters are also banned. In response to this new rule, many Canadian animal producers have voluntarily implemented production practices aimed at producing animals effectively while avoiding the use of antibiotics. In the swine industry, one such program is the ‘raised without antibiotics’ (RWA) program.In this paper, we describe a comprehensive investigative methodology comparing the effect of the adoption of the RWA approach with non-RWA pig production operations where antibiotics may still be administered on animals as needed. Our experimental approach involves a multi-year longitudinal investigation of pig farming to determine the effects of antibiotic usage on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and pathogen abundance in the context of the drug exposures recorded in the RWA versus non-RWA scenarios.Surveillance of AMR and pathogens was conducted using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in conjunction with open source tools and data pipeline analyses, which inform on the resistome, virulome and bacterial diversity in animals and materials associated with the different types of barns. This information was combined and correlated with drug usage (types and amounts) over time, along with animal health metadata (stage of growth, reason for drug use, among others). The overarching goal was to develop a set of interconnected informatic tools and data management procedures wherein specific queries could be made and customized, to reveal statistically valid cause/effect relationships.Results demonstrating possible correlations between RWA and AMR would support the Canadian pig industry, as well as regulatory agencies in new efforts, focused on reducing overall antibiotics use and in curbing the development and spread of AMR related to animal agriculture.

Financial Health of Grain Operations After Adding a Hog Barn

There is strong local and national interest in adding hog barns to existing row crop operations. Declining on farm income over the past several years has accelerated this interest. Grain operations cite diversifying farm income, adding another family to the farm operation, and/or replace commercial fertilizer expense as the primary reasons for adding a hog barn.

Analyse zootechnique et économique des systèmes d’élevage de porcs en Casamance (Sénégal)

Afin de mieux cerner les caractéristiques zootechniques et économiques de l’élevage de porc, une étude diagnostique a été conduite de mars à juin 2016 auprès de 324 élevages porcins, sous forme d’enquêtes transversales et rétrospectives dans les trois régions de la Casamance au Sud Sénégal. Les résultats ont montré que l’élevage porcin était pratiqué à la fois par des hommes et des femmes mariés et instruits. Ils étaient majoritairement des ethnies Diola, Mancagne et Balante et associaient l’élevage à l’agriculture, à l’activité privée ou au commerce. Ils évoluaient dans trois systèmes d’élevage différents (traditionnel, semi-intensif ou intensif), avec une nette prédominance du système traditionnel (85,5 % des élevages). Ce dernier était caractérisé par des porcheries traditionnelles améliorées (51,1 %) ou des abris de fortune (28,4 %), où étaient surtout élevés les porcs de race locale (90,4 % des exploitations). La taille moyenne du cheptel était de 19,2 ± 20,1 porcs. Dans 97 % des cas les éleveurs nourrissaient les animaux à partir de déchets de cuisine et de sous-produits agricoles et agro-industriels. L’âge moyen de mise à la reproduction était de 7,6 ± 1,8 mois et la taille moyenne de la portée était de 7,4 ± 2,2 porcelets. Ce sous-secteur d’élevage a un réel potentiel de réduction de la pauvreté car il génère selon les systèmes des revenus nets de 5435 à 7566 FCFA par porc engraissé par an. Néanmoins, le manque de formation des éleveurs, les habitats porcins inadaptés, les contraintes alimentaires et sanitaires restent les principaux facteurs handicapant l’essor de l’élevage porcin dans cette région. Il serait utile de trouver des voies alternatives d’amélioration des conditions d’habitat, d’alimentation et de suivi sanitaire des porcs, accompagnées d’une meilleure organisation et d’un renforcement de capacité des producteurs et des autres acteurs de la filière porcine.

The Effect of a Large Hog Barn Operation on Residential Sales Prices in Marshall County, KY

In this paper, we examine the economic impact of a tightly clustered complex of hog barns, a type of concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) on residential property in a rural area near Benton, Kentucky. The operation creates noxious and offensive odors associated with swine-raising and waste disposal activities. Theory and practice indicate that buyers would avoid purchasing a property believed to be contaminated or subject to effects of unsustainable environmental disamenities. Using hedonic regression analysis, the results show price reductions of 23%–32% for residential properties sold within 1.25 miles of the facility, and much larger losses northeast (downwind) of the facility.

Estrus Detection in Sows Based on Texture Analysis of Pudendal Images and Neural Network Analysis

Worldwide trends in animal welfare have resulted in an increased interest in individual management of sows housed in groups within hog barns. Estrus detection has been shown to be one of the greatest determinants of sow productivity. Purpose: We conducted this study to develop a method that can automatically detect the estrus state of a sow by selecting optimal texture parameters from images of a sow`s pudendum and by optimizing the number of neurons in the hidden layer of an artificial neural network. Methods: Texture parameters were analyzed according to changes in a sow`s pudendum in estrus such as mucus secretion and expansion. Of the texture parameters, eight gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) parameters were used for image analysis. The image states were classified into ten grades for each GLCM parameter, and an artificial neural network was formed using the values for each grade as inputs to discriminate the estrus state of sows. The number of hidden layer neurons in the artificial neural network is an important parameter in neural network design. Therefore, we determined the optimal number of hidden layer units using a trial and error method while increasing the number of neurons. Results: Fifteen hidden layers were determined to be optimal for use in the artificial neural network designed in this study. Thirty images of 10 sows were used for learning, and then 30 different images of 10 sows were used for verification. Conclusions: For learning, the back propagation neural network (BPN) algorithm was used to successful estimate six texture parameters (homogeneity, angular second moment, energy, maximum probability, entropy, and GLCM correlation). Based on the verification results, homogeneity was determined to be the most important texture parameter, and resulted in an estrus detection rate of 70%.

Impact of In-Barn Manure Separation on Biological Air Quality in an Experimental Setup Identical to that in Swine Buildings

In-barn manure separation systems are becoming popular due to various environmental pressures on the swine industry. According to the literature, separation of feces and urine directly underneath the slats should have a positive impact on barn air quality. Removal and rapid separation of the two phases (solid/liquid) would reduce the dust and bioaerosol emissions, which would significantly improve the air quality in pig-housing facilities. From an occupational health and safety perspective, the maximum endotoxin and total bacteria concentrations to ensure workers' safety should not exceed 450 endotoxin units per cubic meter of air (EU m(-3)) and 10(4) colony-forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU m(-3)), respectively. In the current study, the effect on air quality of six in-barn manure handling systems was measured. A flat scraper system and four separation systems installed under the slats (a conveyor belt system, a conveyor net system, and a V-shaped scraper operated at two operation frequencies) were evaluated and compared to a conventional pull-plug system (control). The experiment took place in twelve independent and identical rooms housing four grower-finisher pigs each, and air samples were collected and analyzed for total dust, endotoxins, bacteria, and mold counts. The results obtained from this experimental setup show that the separation of feces and urine under the slats would concentrate at least 80% of the phosphorus in the solid phase. The total bacteria and endotoxin concentrations are lower than those found in commercial hog barns but remain higher than the recommended levels. Only the total dust concentrations are approximately 10% of their regulated value. This separation has no impact on dust and bioaerosol concentrations compared to the control.

Modeling Studies of Ammonia Dispersion and Dry Deposition at Some Hog Farms in North Carolina

A modeling study was conducted on dispersion and dry deposition of ammonia taking one hog farm as a unit. The ammonia emissions used in this study were measured under our OPEN (Odor, Pathogens, and Emissions of Nitrogen) project over a waste lagoon and from hog barns. Meteorological data were also collected at the farm site. The actual layout of barns and lagoons on the farms was used to simulate dry deposition downwind of the farm. Dry deposition velocity, dispersion, and dry deposition of ammonia were studied over different seasons and under different stability conditions using the short-range dispersion/air quality model, AERMOD. Dry deposition velocities were highest under near-neutral conditions and lowest under stable conditions. The highest deposition at short range occurred under nighttime stable conditions and the lowest occurred during daytime unstable conditions. Significant differences in deposition over crop and grass surfaces were observed under stable conditions.

Characterization of non-methane volatile organic compounds at swine facilities in eastern North Carolina

Samples were collected and analyzed in a field study to characterize C 2–C 12 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted at five swine facilities in Eastern North Carolina between April 2002 and February 2003. Two sites employed conventional lagoon and field spray technologies, while three sites utilized various alternative waste treatment technologies in an effort to substantially reduce gaseous compound emissions, odor, and pathogens from these swine facilities. More than 100 compounds, including various paraffins, olefins, aromatics, ethers, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, halogenated hydrocarbons, phenols, and sulfides were positively identified and quantified by Gas Chromatographic/Flame Ionization Detection (GC/FID) analysis and confirmed by Gas Chromatographic/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). GC/MS analysis of one particularly complex sample collected assisted in providing identification and retention times for 17 sulfur-type VOCs including dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide as well as many other VOCs. Highest VOC concentration levels measured at each of the facilities were near the hog barn ventilation fans. Total measured VOCs at the hog barns were typically dominated by oxygenated hydrocarbons (HCs), i.e., ethanol, methanol, acetaldehyde, and acetone. These compounds, in addition to other oxygenated VOCs measured at the various sites, generally represented ∼37–73% of net total measured VOCs that were emitted from the hog barns at the various sites. Dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide, both recognized as malodorous compounds, were determined to have higher concentration levels at the barns than the background at every farm sampled with the exception of one farm during the warm sampling season.

Respiratory symptoms and airway obstruction in swine veterinarians: a persistent problem.

There are many occupational hazards associated with the practice of swine veterinarians. To reassess the prevalence of respiratory complaints and pulmonary function abnormalities in this group. This was a cross-sectional study conducted during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting. Subjects completed a respiratory symptom/work history questionnaire and performed spirometry. Participants included 122 veterinarians (median age=42.5 years). Work-related symptoms included rhinitis symptoms (69%), cough and chest tightness (53%), wheezing (31%). Airway obstruction was seen in 24% of participants. Veterinarians with airway obstruction reported working more hours per week in hog barns than did practitioners with normal pulmonary function (P=0.009). Respiratory symptoms were common in the swine veterinarians tested as was airway obstruction. The association with these findings and hog barn exposure suggests that working in these facilities is still a risk factor for airway disease.

Intensive Livestock Operations, Disembedding, and Community Polarization in Manitoba

Disembedding mechanisms separate activities from their local contexts and reorganize them in the global economy. Manitoba's rapidly growing intensive hog industry has become disembedded socioeconomically, environmentally, and politically. Socioeconomically, intensive livestock operations (ILOs) have come under corporate control and are no longer bound by collective agricultural supply management policies. Environmentally, odor and water quality concerns have increased at the local level and have not been easily amenable to legal and regulatory redress. Politically, disputes over hog barns have disrupted the decision-making process in many rural communities. This has forced a reluctant provincial government to become more involved in the problem.

Respirable Dust in Fan and Naturally Ventilated Hog Barns

Gravimetric dust samplers were used to measure respirable dust in three hog barns, each with naturally and fan ventilated rooms. Ammonia concentration was also recorded using a Drager gas detector. The three barns were located in Southern Ontario; outside conditions were typical of the lower Great Lakes climate and measurements were obtained during two successive winters. Mean levels of respirable dust were 22% higher (0.11 mg/m^; P<0.01) and the levels of ammonia 19% lower (3.10 ppm; P<0.01) in the naturally ventilated rooms than in the fan ventilated rooms.

OCCURRENCE OF THE DEPRESSED FLOUR BEETLE, PALORUS SUBDEPRESSUS (COLEOPTERA: TENEBRIONIDAE), IN CANADA

The depressed flour beetle, Palorus subdepressus (Wollaston), was found in southern Manitoba during a survey of the insect fauna of hog barns in April 1974. This is the first record for this species in Canada. Adults and larvae were obtained from residues of coarsely ground feed on the floor of the hog pens. Dr. E. C. Becker of the Biosystematics Research Institute, Ottawa, kindly confirmed the identification of the adults and two specimens were retained for the Canadian National Collection. A culture has been established at the Research Station, Winnipeg.