Designed
with water quality in mind
Hog barns are popping up on the
prairies with many of them in Manitoba. Intensive Livestock
Operations are another new face of agri-business. These facilities
are one way farmers and businesses see sustaining farm operations
and the rural economy.
Hog barns can degrade the environment
if not properly built and operated. They must be designed
and built correctly in the first place, and then monitored
to ensure the design actually works.
Major challenges in hog operations
are cleanliness, disease control and ensuring that the surrounding
farmland can assimilate the manure without it polluting the
ground-water. The other challenge is controlling odour from
manure in fields and barns. The manure is held in liquid form
in watertight pits and then, periodically spread on farmland.
The amount of manure that should be applied on the land must
be based on the soil moisture conditions, the type of crops
being grown and the level of plant nutrients already in the
soil. Doing so avoids runoff into streams or leaching into
the watertable.
Ultimately, it's a matter of integrating
the hog barn design with the crop and soil sciences applicable
to the local area.
Unforeseen consequences
Who would have thought that cancellation
of the 'Crow' freight rates, in the 1990s might lead to a
possible change in Manitoba's water quality. Not likely many
people. But there is a connection. After the Crow rate was
cancelled, agricultural producers looked for ways of utilizing
more of their products in Manitoba rather than exporting as
much as had been done in an era of subsidized freight rates.
One solution was an expansion of activities that utilized
grain products within the province, including livestock, poultry
and swine production.
With all the added livestock production
in the province the nutrient dynamics have also changed. This
in turn has affected both water quantity and quality.
For farmers, sustainability means
many things, such as protecting wildlife habitat, manure management
and protecting water quality. All of these are closely interconnected.
That is why Manitoba's largest farm organization, Keystone
Agricultural Producers has about 20 committees to develop
policies on these and other issues. Farmers, probably more
than most, know the importance of protecting the environment
and especially the quality of water. Many depend on shallow
wells and dugouts for their drinking water.
Conserving Manitoba
Manitoba's Conservation Districts
Program has been providing a comprehensive, sustainable approach
to water and soil management in the province for over 25 years.
The Program's success is due to its grassroots approach for
balancing environmental concerns and economic growth. A Conservation
District is a group of neighbours working together in partnership
with the province to develop programs to effectively manage
the natural resources of their area. Conservation Districts
are established under the authority of The Conservation District
Act. Currently, there are 13 Conservation Districts in Manitoba
covering approximately 60 percent of Agro-Manitoba. Individual
district boundaries depend on the needs of the people and
they are usually based on the drainage basin or watershed
of the major river in the area. |
