Erin Cortus South Dakota State University

Publish Date: October 20, 2014

Agricultural air quality is a hot topic around the country. Increasing interest in air quality regulation of farms is the result of many changes, including the trend toward larger farms having greater concentrations of animals, and increased knowledge and awareness of air emissions from livestock sources. This document provides background on current air quality regulations, why they were implemented, what swine operations are affected, and how to comply, when necessary. Indoor air quality will not be directly discussed here, but readers should understand that indoor air quality and outdoor air quality are related, and the level of indoor air quality is not necessarily indicative of emission levels.

Publish Date: October 20, 2014

Properly designed and operated manure management systems prevent manure from overflowing or discharging from a facility, and allow for timely nutrient application for vegetative growth. Whether the manure is stored in a lagoon, earthen structure, tank or deep pit, similar principles exist to maintaining a sound manure storage structure. Frequent evaluation of the system and preventative maintenance reduce the risk of costly structural and/or environmental issues down the road.

Publish Date: May 21, 2013

An odor mitigation technology that is drawing a lot of attention in Midwestern livestock producing states is the strategic use of shelterbelts – purposefully planted trees and shrubs arranged in linear patterns around production facilities; a technical term for this technology is Vegetative Environmental Buffers or VEBs. Research suggests that VEBs can play an important, incremental low-cost role in bio-physically and socially mitigating odor.