The Rural Voice, 2004-01, Page 49PERTH Votkt
County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER
Pat Louwagie, President
519-393-6424
• The Rural Voice is provided to Perth
County Pork Producers by the PCPPA
Different dirt on environmental issues
Any opinions expressed herein may
not necessarily reflect the Views of
the Perth County Pork Producers'
Association.
By Crystal Mackay
Ontario Pork Communications
Specialist
When the scent of manure is in the
air or an environmental issue is on
the news. the typical Canadian might
stop to think about livestock farming
for a minute. The reality is less than
three per cent of Canadians farm
today, leaving few people who
actually know the hows and whys of
today's livestock farms and their
environmental practices.
Here are a few facts to give you
the often unheard farmers'
perspective and a different angle on
some common questions about
livestock and the environment.
Improved Efficiencies
Ontario's pork industry has shown
remarkable improvements in
production efficiency over the last 25
years. While the number of farmers
has declined, production per farm,
both in numbers and improved
efficiency, has occurred.
Total animal numbers in Ontario
have declined since 1900 with sheep.
cattle, and horse numbers down and
pigs showing only a modest increase.
Modern hog farms use fewer
resources to produce the same
volume of pork products.
Improvements.in days -to -market and
reduced mortalities have led to a
reduction in the water requirements
and the manure produced per unit
gain. As feed efficiency improves,
less water is required to produce a
pound of pork. This translates to
more pork, with less manure
produced and less feed and water
required.
Modern technology enables
farmers to appropriately store
manure, apply it when most needed
by crops, apply it when weather is
suitable, and in some cases find
alternative uses.
With today's increased crop
yields. the Ontario corn yield was
112 bushels per acre, up from 48 in
1950. For example, in Perth County,
20 per cent of the 445,759 tillable
acres can produce all the corn
required to feed the 800,000 pigs
marketed in the county.
Tap into Water Facts
Water is the forgotten nutrient.
and water management is a vital area
of any hog farm. Agriculture uses
about nine per cent of the water used
in Ontario daily; with irrigation using
about 85 per cent and animal water-
ing using 15 per cent of that water.
A quality water source is
important. Water needs will vary with
the environmept, dietary ingredients.
daily feed intake. boredom. age.
season of the year. sex. and
availability of water sources. As
animal efficiencies improve with
fewer days to reach market weight. a
reduction in water requirements also
occurs.
Reports often compare animals
and humans in manure production
and water usage. It's a difficult area
to compare accurately, since pigs
don't shower or use a dishwasher or
own a pool. Of course household
water use doesn't include all the
water we use outside the home, such
as at work, schools, restaurants, golf
courses. hospitals, and hockey arenas.
Water use and manure production in
the pork industry through technology
has declined while human water use
and waste produced continues to
increase.
Swine manure storages contains
wastewater. wash water and animal
waste. The appropriate way ti
compare swine and humans is on
total volume. Humans produce
substantially more waste than animals
with a conservative figure of 227
litres per day, compared to seven for
a market hog. The water required til
take a pig to market is less than a
human would use in four days.
Pigs & People
The population of the European
Union (EU) is similar to that of North
America, but in less than a tenth iil
the area.
World Pig Industry Numbers (Animal
Units)
Pig Animal Tillable Pig
Units (000's) Acres (000's) AU/Hectare
Ontario 636.2 4050 16
Quebec 595.5 2115 28
China 93.611 166902 56
Denmark 2220 3410 65
Japan 1962 5038 39
United States 11.234 393471 03
(Barrington, Macdonald College i
For.more facts and figures about
agriculture and the environment.
check out: www.ontariopork.on.ca or
the new website for high school
teachers and students:
www.farmissues.com.
Farmers are the original
environmentalists and they strive to
maintain a balance: their land.
livestock and businesses depend on
it.0
PERTH COUNTY PORK PRODUCERS'
PORK PRODUCTS
• Smoked Pork Chops • Fresh Pork Chops • Stuffed Loin Chops
• Smoked Sausage • Smoked Cheddar Sausage
• Bacon Burgers • Teriyaki Pork Steaks • Vittorio's BBQ Sauce
Steve Hulshof (Kinkora)
Walter Bosch (Monkton)
Ted Keller (Mitchell)
AVAILABLE FROM.
348-8167
356-9000
348-9836
JANUARY 2004 45