Introduction
| LESSONS LEARNED – See links below for more detail. Mouse over the bottom of the slide to slow or pause slides. |
Thirteen swine producers from Corn Belt states participated in a project with faculty from University of Nebraska and Purdue University to understand the movement of nutrients (nitrogen and phohsphorus) on commercial swine facilities. These farms ranged in size from 2,000 to 16,000 head finishing capacity with most farms being wean to finish or feeder pig to finish operations. The project team developed a whole farm nutrient balance for each farm for both 2006 and 2007 based upon farm specific data.
Primary project outcomes include an understanding of the primary sources of nutrients arriving on these farms, the magnitude of imbalances experience by these farms, and the value of specific nutrient management practices to minimizing the nutrient imbalances experienced by swine production.
To learn more about the concept of Whole Farm Nutrient Balance (WFNB), the lessons learned from this on-farm research, and the tools developed for use by producers, the following introduction is suggested:
WFNB for Pork Production – An Introduction
Lessons Learned
- Overview of Nutrient Management Lessons Learned
- Impact of Farm Size on WFNB
- Impact of Crop Nutrient Management Plans on WFNB
- Pig Density Impacts on WFNB
- Impact of Feed Management on WFNB
- Type of Manure Storage vs. WFNB
- Operational Changes Influence on WFNB
Tools
- Whole Farm Nutrient Balance Calculator for Swine Farms
- Introduction to Opportunities Checklist for My Farm’s Whole Farm Nutrient Balance
- Opportunities Checklist for Feed Management
- Opportunities Checklist for Cropping System
- Opportunities Checklist for Manure Export
- Opportunities Checklist Manure Treatment, Storage, and Handling
Archived Workshop on WFNB
- Introduction to WFNB
- Lessons Learned from 13 Commercial Swine Facilities
- Introduction to WFNB Tools
Authors:
- Rick Koelsch, University of Nebraska
- Alan Sutton, Purdue University
- Joe Lally, Iowa State University
This project was funded by The National Pork Board. The authors wish to extend their appreciation for the financial support provided for completing this on-farm research project.