Pork Production Survey to Assess Factors of Facility Design and Operation

Pork producers can have difficulty operating or expanding existing facilities or establishing new facilities based on perceived negative impacts to the environment and surrounding community. It is critical to understand the characteristics and practices adopted in swine facilities to evaluate the extend of these impacts. A survey, completed by 69 pork producers in Wisconsin, was conducted to assess how facility design and management affect odor, water quality, water consumption, air quality, traffic, and noise. A wide range of production facilities participated in the survey where 29% of respondents were classified as very small (<35 animal units, AU), 16% as small (35–70 AU), 20% as medium (70–300 AU), 23% as large (300–1000 AU), and 12% as permitted (>1000 AU) facilities. Generally, facilities integrated numerous odor control strategies which resulted in high calculated odor scores and the absence of odor complaints. However, the lack of nutrient management planning and other practices for water quality, particularly for facilities with less than 300 AU, indicates there are areas that need improvement. Regardless of facility size, water reduction practices were very commonly reported indicating water conservation is important. Pit ventilation and mechanical ventilation was reported at 58 and 85% of the surveyed facilities, which highlights the need to increase the adoption of mechanical ventilation for air quality, especially in farms with under-barn storage. Using trucks instead of tractors and pumping instead of trucks and tractors can reduce traffic around facilities during manure hauling season.