The
2nd annual Passion for Pigs Seminar and Trade
Show will be Tuesday and
Wednesday, March 16-17, 2010 at the Holiday Inn
Select Executive Center in Columbia, Mo.The conference
provides veterinary continuing education credits as well as
the opportunity to interact with industry representatives.
The first 200 early registrants receive free University
of Missouri basketball tickets. For more information,
or to register, contact Julie Lolli - phone(660) 651-0570,
fax 573-588-2139, E-mail julie.nevets@centurytel.net.
Source: Larry Jacobson and David Schmidt, agricultural engineers
University of Minnesota Extension
Recent explosions or flash fires in Minnesota and Iowa, during manure pit pumping in swine buildings, have prompted the following safety measures to pork producers and custom manure pumpers:
Foaming on the surface of the liquid manure in pits is a growing and significant concern that may or may not be related to the explosion incidents.
Recent field measurements have indicated that the foam contains high levels (60%) of methane so if pumping a pit with foam, special caution should be exercised. Also, currently there is no consistent long-term solution to controlling this foaming in manure pits but short-term control (a few days) can be accomplished by running sprinklers or soakers systems (several hours or up to a day) in barns to “knock down” the foam.
Always provide sufficient air exchange during pumping of the barn (even if no pigs are in the barn) to prevent the build-up of methane gas concentrations to explosive levels (4 to 5 percent (40,000 to 50,000 pp)
When liquid manure is agitated to suspend the settled solids and create pumpable slurry, numerous gases, including very flammable methane, are rapidly released into the air. An estimate of what is sufficient air exchange in a barn while agitating and pumping is at least 2 to 3 times the minimum ventilation rate (or at least 10 air changes per hour) for the barn. Depending on how the barn is ventilated, here are some guidelines to assure you are getting this critical air exchange:
1. For fully natural ventilated barns, inlets (curtains and vent doors) and outlets (roof stacks or ridge openings) need to be open. Even with a fully opened building, agitation should only be done when there is some wind to insure this critical air exchange. Circulation fans that are used to provide summer cooling inside the barn can NOT provide this critical air exchange. Fresh outside air needs to be brought into the barn and wind is the primary force that does that in these barns.
2. For mechanically ventilated barns (tunnel and curtain barns) with wall and pit fans, do NOT rely only on pit fans to supply this air exchange, since these fans may be severely restricted when pits are full. In these barns, it may be better to use ONLY wall exhaust fans to supply this air exchange while agitating/pumping the barn’s manure pit since methane gas is lighter than air. Also in these barns, use the regular (typically ceiling) inlets to insure good air distribution in the barn since there is a need to maintain the negative static pressure in the barn so air comes in through the inlets. For fan ventilated barns, if doors and/or sidewall curtains are opened, the barn’s negative static pressure is severely reduced and air will NOT enter the barn uniformly through designed inlets and this critical air exchange in the barn will NOT be obtained.
To prevent igniting an explosive concentration of methane, turn off heater pilot lights and other non-ventilation electrical systems (such as the feeding system) that might produce an ignition spark.
Not having supplemental heat in the barn may be problematic for cases when there are no pigs in the barn or only small pigs that require warmer inside temperatures. This may limit when you pump manure from such a barn to warmer days or a warmer part of the day. Another option for barns that need to be kept warm is to use large construction type LP gas heaters located outside the barn and duct the heat into the barn during pumping.
When pumping pits that are close (within 1 foot or less of the slats) to being full, pump without agitation until manure is 2 feet below the slats.
This will provide more dilution space for methane and other gases that are released as well as allow pit fans (if available and used) to perform properly during agitation and pumping.
Order warning tags, biosecurity signs, transfer forms and The Other Fertilizer booklet by calling the Minnesota Pork Board office at 1-800-537-7675 or e-mail colleen@mnpork.com. Include your name, mailing address, phone number and quantity of item requested when placing an e-mail or voice message. These items are free to pork producers and manure applicators.
Pit Pumping
Warning Tags
Keep people out of the barns during manure pumping. When pumping is in progress, the tags should be visible on all barn entrances as a warning to keep out of the facility. The warning tags are made of heavy, card stock with metal grommet and elastic string to easily slips onto door handles. To display, write on the tag the pumping start date and time, end date and time, and contact information.
Manure Application & Transfer Forms
(One pad has 25 forms)
These carbon-copy forms help maintain proper documentation of manure application and transfer. Includes general information for manure transfer, as well as weather conditions and manure analysis. Completion of this form should provide Minnesota Feedlot Rules 7020 compliance.
Biosecurity Signs
English - Spanish
Signage discourages trespassing and reminds farm visitors that swine operations have biosecurity practices in place to help prevent disease transmission. The biosecurity signs are in English with Spanish translation and are made of polyethylene.
The “Other Fertilizer”
The Other Fertilizer: Economic Value of Swine Finishing Manure, helps pork producers calculate the value of manure as a fertilizer replacement. The publication has a spreadsheet tool for determining manure’s nutrient value, information on maximizing manure utilization, data showing the economic response from manure, and observations on the influence of dry matter on manure’s nutrient value.
Building an Emergency Action Plan walks through the creation of a customized plan and after completion, the plan can be printed and saved electronically. A well-documented Emergency Action Plan is a valuable tool to reduce the impact of an on-farm emergency. A thorough analysis and description of an individual operation and sites, careful planning for each possible emergency scenario, and ongoing maintenance and training before an emergency are all critical steps to effectively handle an emergency situation. To comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, an employer must have a printed copy of an emergency action plan readily accessible to all employees.
When liquid manure is agitated to suspend the settled solids and create pumpable slurry, numerous gases, including very flammable methane, are rapidly released into the air. An estimate of what is sufficient air exchange in a barn while agitating and pumping is at least 2 to 3 times the minimum ventilation rate (or at least 10 air changes per hour) for the barn. Depending on how the barn is ventilated, here are some guidelines to assure you are getting this critical air exchange: 
