Author
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Hatfield, Jerry |
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Submitted to: National Pork Producers Council Professional Swine Managers Training Handbook
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Environmental quality will continue to be a major concern for swine producers because of the perception that all swine operations pose an environmental risk. There are an array of potential solutions that have been proposed to reduce environmental problems including regulation and voluntary adoption of best management practices. This perception that all swine operations pose an environmental risk presents a unique challenge in how future solutions are developed and implemented. It is important to understand that environmental endpoints that will be used as measure of the success of any programs will include surface and ground water quality, air quality, and soil nutrient status. These endpoints are considered to be at risk when management practices lead to a situation that contributes to a load on the environment that is greater than the system can assimilate. It is also assumed that producers don't implement changes because of the cost of management practices, however, many of these modifications can be completed with changes in management and not capital equipment. It is important that both producers and educators understand the concepts of environmental quality from several viewpoints including risk management, loadings, remediation, and best management practices. There are no simple solutions or no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem that all producers can adopt and discharge their environmental responsibility. An awareness of how these environmental endpoints can be viewed will increase the awareness of pork producers and educators about the potential to improve and protect environmental quality. However, most of these recommendations and considerations are common sense applications of information to swine production. |
