PAMI Builds Tanker Truck for Research and Demonstration
A truck-based system with vacuum/pressure tank was developed to apply swine manure to research and demonstration plots throughout Saskatchewan. It can travel long distances, use a high or low disturbance injection to apply swine manure and be able to pump...
Nitrogen Dynamics in Manured Saskatchewan Soils
Manure is a nitrogen source for crop growth. To predict its behaviour in the soil, the amounts and forms of nitrogen must be known. The behaviour of the manure nitrogen as a plant nutrient source is influenced by the soil...
Effectiveness of Three Manure Pit Additives
Evaluation of three manure pit additives on their effectiveness in reducing manure strength and solids, odour threshold and gas concentrations above the manure surface, and maintaining micronutrient and nutrient content was completed. The additives investigated were Pit Boss, American BioCatalysts...
Development and Evaluation of a Temperature-Humidity Controller for Livestock Buildings
A TDK relative humidity sensor’s life expectancy and accuracy could be improved by applying a specific protection treatment, allowing humidity control strategies. Evaluation of the modified TDK relative humidity sensor and the temperature and humidity control strategy (THC) was completed....
Humidity Control Strategies for Winter Conditions
Automatically adjusting ventilation according to room humidity could optimize energy requirements while improving the buildings room conditions. Under Prairie winter conditions, a conventional temperature control system and a temperature-humidity control system were evaluated through a computer model. The optimum strategy...
Performance and Carcass Quality of Growing-Finishing Pigs Submitted to Reduced Nocturnal Temperature
In the summer, higher temperature in the barn reduces feed intake and therefore reduces pig growth rate. To modify eating behaviour and stimulate the average daily feed intake, a reduced temperature setpoint during the summer was proposed. A reduced nocturnal...
Engineering Controls Reduce Hydrogen Sulphide Exposure in Swine Barns
Three engineering control measures were developed and tested for effectiveness in protecting swine barn workers from exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas during manure handling events. A remote manure pit plug pulling system allowed the worker to pull the manure pit plug from outside...
Pigs Consume more Water When Stressed
Two novel technologies consisting of an individual water consumption system (IWCS) and infrared thermography system (ITHS) were installed in a finishing room. The individual water consumption system (installed in each pen) was composed of a nipple drinker attached to a...
Mitigating Deterioration of Swine Facilities
On average, Canadian swine buildings are 20 – 30 years old; over the next few years, these buildings need renovations or may be replaced with new construction. This project set out to identify potential solutions applicable to Canadian conditions to mitigate the...
Evaluation of a Prototype Air-Filtered Transport Trailer
In response to the need by the industry for a livestock vehicle that addresses increased animal welfare and biosecurity during transport, a prototype air-filtered trailer was developed. Design parameters were gathered from a stakeholders’ survey and initial design configuration options were narrowed down using computer simulation. The...
Development of a Commercial Scale Air Treatment System
An air cleaning technology based on biotrickling filtration developed in previous phases of the project was scaled up and tested at the PSC swine grower-finisher facility. Results showed that the air treatment units were effective in reducing the levels of ammonia, dust, and odour...
Investigating Intervention Measures to Reduce On‐Farm Use of Antibiotics
Prairie Swine Centre has received funding for a research project with the overall goal of determining whether the pattern of antibiotics usage in farms is correlated with the prevalence of specific pig pathogens as well as antimicrobial resistance. In this...
