One of 2,400 sows stretches out in her containment pen near Beardstown, Ill., Thursday, Feb. 13, 1997. The University of Illinois plans to use a $251,000 grant to study techniques to control hog farm odors. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, FILE)
Posted on 06/15/2006 8:44:20 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
URBANA, Ill. - The University of Illinois plans to use a $251,000 grant presented by the state attorney general's office Thursday to test techniques and technology to control hog farm odors.
"Finding solutions to reduce emissions that are both effective and cost-effective and won't reduce the competitiveness of our swine industry in Illinois is obviously of critical importance to swine producers. It's also of importance to people who live near swine facilities," said Michael Ellis, an animal sciences professor at the university, who is leading the research.
The grant comes from an antitrust settlement reached in 2000 with several vitamin manufacturers accused of fixing prices, Attorney General Lisa Madigan said at a news conference on the university's Urbana campus.
Some of the vitamins included in the lawsuit were used for animal feed, so it is appropriate to use some of the settlement money to help solve animal industry problems, she said.
"As we have a growing number of hog farms and as we have a growing number of people living near those hog farms, there are some problems that arise," she said. "To the extent that we are able to protect the environment and protect individuals' quality of life all at the same time, this money is going to go toward funding that."
The grant will provide the money needed to test new products and technology being promoted for controlling the foul odors that often come from hog farms on a much larger scale than can be done in a laboratory or at the university's own research farms south of Urbana, Ellis said.
"We can show that something works on the South Farms here, but it's a long step from there to making sure it operates fully at a commercial operation," he said.
The university is working with the Illinois Pork Producers Association on the project and has established a "Discovery Farm" at a 12,000-pig wean-to-finish hog operation near McLean to conduct the research. Other discovery farms are being planned, Ellis said.
The McLean farm is owned by The Maschhoffs Inc., a Carlyle-based farm management firm, and has nine identical hog barns, which will allow researchers to repeat their testing under identical conditions, leading to more accuracy, said Bradley Wolter, the company's production technology director.
"This gives us a little more robust conclusion," he said.
The grant is the second the attorney general's office has made to the college to test swine-odor technology. A project conducted by Ellis between 2002 and 2004 in Henderson County "has resulted in good information and improvements that can be made," Madigan said.
"We know that we're working with a partner who will do what he says he's going to do and it will be a benefit to the environment, the people who live near those facilities and the producers themselves," she said.
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On the Net:
College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences: http://www.aces.uiuc.edu
Illinois Attorney General's Office: http://www.ag.state.il.us
One of 2,400 sows stretches out in her containment pen near Beardstown, Ill., Thursday, Feb. 13, 1997. The University of Illinois plans to use a $251,000 grant to study techniques to control hog farm odors. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, FILE)
Hope they work on turkey crap next. I can't decide which is worse pig or turkey!
Once they finish with animal trials will be tested on humans?
That'll teach those odors! Illinois, a possible ping list topic?
If you'd like to be on or off this Midwest outdoors and rural issues list, please FRmail me.
Don't laugh, it's being worked on!
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