Pork industry innovator honored at 2009 Banff Pork Seminar
A Canadian pork industry innovator was recognized for his efforts to
improve water conservation and reduce emissions from hog farms at the
2009 Banff Pork Seminar.
Pork industry innovator honored at 2009 Banff Pork Seminar
A Canadian pork industry innovator was recognized for his efforts to improve water conservation and reduce emissions from hog farms at the 2009 Banff Pork Seminar.
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| Ruurd Zijlstra (left), Ross Thurston (centre), Livestock Water Recycling Inc., and Gareth Jenkins (right) Livestock Water Recycling Inc.
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The F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production honors Canadian pork industry members who have developed either original solutions to pork production challenges or creative uses of known technology. The winner of this year’s prize is Ross Thurston of Livestock Water Recycling (LWR) Inc. in Calgary, Alberta for his Swinewater livestock manure treatment system.
The continuous loop Swinewater System conserves water for farming operations, filtering manure-rich wastewater to the point where it is available for reuse as wash water or livestock drinking water. It also removes solids from the water that are later converted into fertilizer. In the process, it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing the discharge of ammonia and phosphorus into the soil.
International symposium on management of animal carcasses
Plans are currently underway for the 3rd annual International Symposium on the Management of Animal Carcasses, Tissue and Related Byproducts.
The event is scheduled for July 21 to 23, 2009 at the University of California at Davis.
Three days of plenary, breakout and poster sessions are planned to discuss, learn and share information with researchers, policy makers and regulators on carcass disposal technology, planning and policy. Included in these days will be hands-on workshops and demonstrations of available carcass disposal technology.
Watch for registration materials and call for papers coming soon to http://extension.umaine.edu/ByproductsSymposium09/default.htm.
Planning underway for 2009 Upper Midwest Manure Handling Expo
The 2009 Upper Midwest Manure Handling Expo, themed SET for Fall: Safety, Efficiency, and Technology, will be held at the Central Iowa Expo Center in Boone, Iowa on July 22, 2009.
Expo vendors and visitors will have a chance to interact and discuss manure handling equipment, products, and services. The expo will also offer educational opportunities to manure applicators and consultants.
The expo’s location provides ample exhibition space and the gravel streets between the facilities will be the setting for more than eight hours of vendor/customer contact and field demonstrations showcasing vendor products. Educational courses and demonstrations will also be held throughout the day. General admission to the expo is free.
Vendor registration for the manure handling expo is now open. Vendor registration is $600 for either a covered 10'x10' space with electricity or a 40'x70' lot. Other amenities are available for purchase from the Central Iowa Expo Center. Expo, lodging and vendor registration information is available at www.ag.iastate.edu/wastemgmt/expo_home.htm. For additional information, email agwaste@iastate.edu .
The 2009 Upper Midwest Manure Handling Expo is presented by Iowa State University and the Iowa Commercial Nutrient Applicators Association.
NPPC suing the EPA
The National Pork Producers Council has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to require livestock farms to file reports under the Environmental Protection and Community Right To Know Act (EPCRA).
NPPC also is alleging that the EPA violated the due process rights of farmers by failing to develop an adequate system to accept the reports, making compliance with the law impossible.
Under a rulemaking issued Dec. 18, the EPA decided that large livestock farms would be required to file mandatory reports on air emissions by first making phone calls to their state and local emergency response authorities, then by filing a written notification of emissions estimates. Farms that fail to comply will face penalties of $25,000 per day. The rule went into effect Jan. 20, 2009.
“In sticking the agricultural community with this unworkable rule, the EPA not only failed to provide any guidance to farmers on compliance with the new regulation or develop an adequate system to handle the volume of reports that would be filed, but it actively engaged in efforts that undermined the ability of farmers to comply with this new, stringent rule,” said NPPC president Bryan Black, a pork producer from Canal Winchester, Ohio.
