The Rural Voice, 2019-03, Page 67how much air is getting into the
barn,” said Jacqui.
New sensors were developed
especially for this pilot project. They
are about as big as a water bottle and
are hung by hooks at various levels
in the barn. They take a reading of
barn gasses every 15 minutes and the
batteries last about two years.
Sensors hold the data and shoot the
information wirelessly to a base
station in the office as well as the
Cloud so the data can be accessed on
cell phones. The sensors also reveal
live data, allowing the farmer to
visually see the gas readings being
taken in the barn. Installation of the
sensors takes about an hour.
From the first barns involved with
the pilot projects, some things have
become evident. One is that the
amount of air farmers thought was
moving across the barn was not near
enough.
A set of sensors placed in a
poultry barn revealed levels of
carbon dioxide were significantly
above the the healthy limits for two
days in a row. In another poultry
barn, when the fans go off as night
temperatures fall, ammonia levels
rise significantly. Jacqui wondered
what does that do to the lungs of the
animals?
Moreover, from the sensors in a
dairy calf barn, there were adequate
ventilation fans but they could not
control the relative humidity levels.
“Every livestock barn monitored
to date was found to have excessive
gas concentrations for portions of the
production cycle,” Jacqui read from
the report.
Jacqui says barn gas
concentrations will vary throughout
the livestock production cycle. How
much and when it becomes
dangerous is something the sensors
will track. ◊
March 2019 63
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Every livestock barn
monitored to date was
found to have excessive
gas concentrations.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Find out about grants and environmental work in your watershed
Tuesday, March 19, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
St. Marys Pyramid Recreation Centre, 317 James St. South, St. Marys
Contact:
John Enright
Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
519-451-2800 x 243
enrightj@thamesriver.on.ca
Presentations by Local Experts:
Keep it Covered, Green and Growing - Dan Breen, OSCIA’s 2018 Soil Champion
Saving Butternut - John Enright, UTRCA
Creating a Pond or Wetland on Your Property: Local Examples - Tatianna Lozier, UTRCA
The Cade Tract: New Conservation Area to Explore - Craig Merkley, UTRCA
Landowner Engagement - Jay Ebel, UTRCA
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Accep
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Rural Landowner Workshop
Butternut Tree Dan Breen & Family Wetland
Cade Tract
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• Feed Grains
• Feed Ingredients
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UNIT 43 - LONDON, ONTARIO, N6H 5L6
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Toll-Free 1-800-265-1885
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