Positive Human Health Effects of Wearing a Respirator in a Swine Barn

A study was conducted to evaluate the acute health effects of wearing an N-95 disposable respirator in a swine confinement facility. Epidemiologic studies have shown that swine confinement workers are at increased risk of developing respiratory symptoms, reductions in expired flow rates, and increases in airways responsiveness. Read more...

because it can occur at levels high enough to be an irritant to the respiratory system. The recommended maximum gas concentrations suggested by OSHA (25 ppm) are much higher than those suggested by agricultural scientists in Europe (10 ppm). Many studies have been done over the last several years in Europe and North America to see what can be done to reduce indoor levels of ammonia gas through building design and management practices, Read more...

Manure Management, Odor and Diseases Control

Livestock producers are going through much criticism for creating pollution and diseases problems. In the mean time farmers having production problems (costly manure removal, energy consumption, medicine cost and most important barn is not save working place.) One of the long-standing and costly problems of handling manure has been the absence of simple, reliable, accurate and long-lasting system of manure collection and transportation out of the barn, Historically, several methods of manure handling were used in the industry assumed that manure would be held for some time in the barn. The Enterprise tendency to lager livestock production, with a concern for quality of food in efficient environment, requires a number of radical changes and development of new methods for proper and efficient manure management. Read more...

Ventilation for Warm Confinement Livestock Buildings

A warm confinement livestock building is one that is closed, insulated and operated in a way that keeps inside temperatures higher than and independent of outside temperatures during winter months. A mechanical ventilation system is an essential part of the warm confinement building.

Parameters to Consider in Breeding Herd Facility System Development

The decision to replace or remodel any swine housing system is of considerable short and long term significance to the producer. The anticipated life expectancy of most facilities is in the 10 to 20 year range and any new facility will need to remain functional and viable during this time period as well as producing an acceptable return on any investment. Over the last 20 or so years, there has been a general move away from extensive outdoor production systems towards intensive, housed/confinement systems. Read more...

Wean-to-Finish Buildings
The wean-to-finish facility is one of the hottest topics among pork producers in 1997. The concept of a wean-to-finish building actually began over four years ago. Since that time, there has been much discussion as to their benefits, costs, effects on pig performance, facility design, and management of the pig in this single-stage system. Numerous buildings have been constructed in the last 12 months with construction scheduled to further increase during the current year. Read more...

Management in Swedish DeepBedded Swine Housing Systems: Background and Behaviorial Considerations
In the 1950's and 60's, breeding herd housing in Sweden was becoming very much like that typical of large-scale facilities in the U.S. today -individual stall or crate housing under factory-like conditions. Indeed, according to Miller (1968), gestation stall housing first appeared in Scandinavia and spread initially to Great Britain. Read more...

Ventilation Design Worksheet for Swine Housing

This worksheet is intended to guide you through a simplified procedure of designing a ventilation system. It will help you to decide on fans needed, inlets needed and how to set up the controls to create a prescribed environment. Read more...

Air Quality Inside Livestock Barns

In modern livestock barns, proper indoor air quality is imperative to maintain the health and productivity of farm workers and animals. Some problems related to the health of farm workers have been noticed, especially since the 1970's, coinciding with the rapid changes from small traditional farms to large intensive livestock operations. The purposes of this Factsheet are to identify the contam-inants present in the air inside livestock barns and to discuss the effects of adopting the present industrial indoor air quality standards from the Occupational Health and Safety Act by Ontario farmers. Read more...

Supplemental Ventilation Systems for Modified Open-front Swine Building

Poor ventilation in modified open-front (MOF) buildings often causes pigs to give less than optimal performance. The biggest problem is from respiratory diseases that occur in winter because building are sealed too tightly. Read more...

Construction Details for Livestock Facilities

Recently, there have been significant environmental concerns caused by the construction of new livestock buildings and manure tanks in proximity to field drains. Ontario Pork is currently in the process of conducting research to determine if current construction techniques are effective in creating leakproof manure storages. Read more...

Nebraska's Solar Heated ModifiedOpen-Front Swine Nursery

The Nebraska nursery design incorporates concepts of both the modified-open-front (MOF) building and solar heating to provide a thermal environment suitable for smaller pigs. It uses increased insulation, passive and active solar collectors, an in-floor heat distribution storage (IFHDS) system, and hovers.

Controlling Ammonia Gas In Swine Buildings

Ammonia is the most important gas healthwise found in swine buildings on a day-to-day basis