January 6, 2004 Volume 1 - Number 1
Welcome to the first issue of the SDSU Swine E-Newsletter! Just as you have adapted to technological changes in the swine industry, this newsletter is an attempt to utilize technology to do a better job of providing unbiased information to you. The goals of this publication are three-fold. The first goal is to provide production research summaries from SDSU and elsewhere on topics that should have a direct application to your operation. Secondly, it will provide a calendar of events and meetings that may be of interest to pork producers. Finally, when appropriate, it will cover events in SD, the US, and in the world that could have an impact on pork production. This newsletter will be emailed out every 2-3 weeks, and if you want to receive it, just email me at robert.thaler@sdstate.edu and I’ll put you on the mailing list. Also, if you have any ideas of other things you’d like to see included in future newsletters, please let me know.
Thanks,
Bob Thaler
SDSU Extension Swine Specialist
SD Pork Producers Annual Meeting Jan 8th & 9th
The SD Pork Producers Annual meeting will be held on Thursday and Friday, January 8th and 9th at the Ramkota Inn in Sioux Falls, SD. For more information, call the SDPPC office at 1-800-830-PORK.
Odor Workshops to be held Jan 14th-16th
The faculty in the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at SDSU have developed a one day livestock and poultry odor workshop, which includes information on odor generation, measurement, description, and numerous control strategies that have been researched. Two tools producers can use to develop management procedures that will be presented are odor management plans and the model, OFFSET. The model is used to predict odor impact on a community for both existing and proposed facilities. Also presented is a session on community relations. The information is intended for community leaders, county commissioners, feedlot officers, livestock producers, consultants, technical staffs, and concerned citizens. The workshop’s purpose is to help them develop and implement innovative policies and practices that address the community’s odor concerns. The one-day workshop will be held in three South Dakota locations:
The workshop starts at 9 a.m. with registration and the program at 9:30 and concludes at 4:15 pm. Advance registration of $30.00 per person is encouraged. On-site registration is $35.00 per person. Registration includes lunch, coffee breaks and workshop manual. Please send registration to:
Candy Willms, Ag and Biosystems Engineering, Box 2120, SDSU
Brookings, SD 57007
Make checks payable to: SDSU 386689
Reducing Odor with Biofilters
Concern over odor from swine operations is one of the main factors limiting the approval of new swine facilities by local officials. One method to reduce odor would be to treat the odor-carrying air leaving the barn. A simple, low cost method of accomplishing that would be to run the exhaust air through a biofilter. A biofilter is a bed of organic material 10-18” deep through which the exhaust air is passed through. The theory is that microbes in the organic material convert the odorous gases to carbon dioxide and water. A biofilter was attached to the mechanically ventilated, grow-finish barn at the Southeast Research Farm to determine the amount of odor reduction from a biofilter during winter months. Air samples for odor analysis were obtained on 4 different dates, and were shipped to the University of Minnesota where a trained odor panel determined odor. Detection threshold measured in Odor Units was decreased by 95.2%, 97.4%, 90.1%, and 89.5% for periods 1 through 4, respectively, by the biofilter. The biofilter also reduced persistence of odor by 88.9%, 82.0%, 77.3%, and 91.7%, for periods 1 through 4, respectively. Pooling all sampling periods, the biofilter reduced the detection threshold by 93.3% and odor persistence by 85.0%. Based on this data, biofilters appear to be a very effective method to significantly reduce odor emissions from mechanically ventilated swine barns. This research was supported by the SD Pork Producers Council.
“Managing Your Unseen Employee: The Ventilation System”
The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service will offer a ventilation workshop Feb. 13 at the Beadle County Extension Center in Huron. The workshop will include both classroom instruction and hands-on demonstrations. Classroom sessions will cover topics such as the basics of ventilation systems, effective temperature requirements, troubleshooting tools and techniques, and other ventilation situations. The hands-on demonstrations will include experiences in setting fan controllers, adjusting inlets, static pressure effects, dirty fan effects, and other real-life effects.
The workshop costs $50 per person. Enrollment is limited to 36 people. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The workshop runs 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The program is partially supported by funds from the South Dakota Pork Producers Council. Call 1-800-767-5287 to register. Call Bob Thaler at (605) 688-5011 or Steve Pohl at (605) 688-5662 for more information.
DDGS & Ileitis: Fact or Fiction?
Ileitis is a major enteric disease in the US swine industry costing producers millions of dollars annually. Two studies from the University of Minnesota and some field reports indicate that Distiller’s Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), a co-product of the ethanol industry, may help alleviate this condition. However, only limited controlled research has been conducted to verify if, in fact, DDGS does control ileitis. Therefore, in a trial sponsored by the SD Corn Utilization Council, 95 grow-finish pigs housed at the SE Farm near Beresford were fed diets containing either corn-SBM, corn-SBM-20% DDGS, corn-SBM-5% soy hulls, or corn-SBM-tylosin (100 g/ton). After an acclimation period, the pigs were then orally challenged with Lawsonia intracellularis, the agent causing ileitis. When looking at growth performance, fecal shedding of Lawsonia intracellularis, and pig condition scoring, only pigs fed diets containing tylosin had similar values to the non-challenged pigs. Neither 20% DDGS or 5% soy hulls had any effect in reducing the severity on a Lawsonia intracellularis challenge. These results are not uncommon in that swine veterinarians have reported that DDGS works in about 50% of their herds in reducing ileitis. Also, when visiting with producers feeding DDGS, only about ½ of them find it to be effective against ileitis. DDGS is an excellent feedstuff for swine and should be considered when economics dictate it. However, at this time, no consistent economic value can be placed on it for alleviating ileitis. For more information on DDGS, visit http://ars.sdstate.edu/SwineExt/ddgs.htm.
PORK CLASSIC Barbecue and Basketball Game
On Saturday, January 24th, the SDSU Dept of Animal & Range Sciences will be hosting a pork loin barbecue from 5-7 PM at Frost Arena. The meal is $6/person and includes a freshly grilled pork loin sandwich, chips, apple sauce, SDSU ice cream, and a drink. At half time of the women’s game, 20 pork bundles donated by John Morrell & Co will be auctioned off, and the proceeds from both the bundle auction and barbecue will go to support scholarships in the Dept of Animal & Range Sciences. Hope to see you there for a night of great food, fellowship, and basketball.
2003 SD Mater Pork Producer Winners
Four producers have been recognized as outstanding pork producers for 2003 by the SD Master Pork Producers organization, and they are Robert Rasmussen – Hurley; Levi Wollman, New Elm Spring Colony – Ethan; Laron Krause – Clear Lake; Herb Wollman, Poinsett Pork Production, Estelline. The awards presentation will be made at 6 PM on Friday, January 9th at the Ramkota Inn in Sioux Falls, SD. The SD Master Pork Producers is an organization made up of allied industry members who contribute their time and efforts in recognizing outstanding pork producers in SD. Also, they provide approximately $3000 of scholarships to SDSU annually, and have donated both funds and their personal time to help meet the needs of the guests at The Banquet in Sioux Falls.
_____________________________________________________________________________
I hope this first issue of the SDSU Swine E-Newsletter is useful to you. If you want to be put on the e-mailing list to receive future issues, just drop me an email at robert_thaler@sdstate.edu. Your email address will be kept confidential and not given or sold to anyone else. Also, if you have ideas for future issues, please feel free to contact me with them.