12 Story Idea? Contact Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Pork | December 2024 REDUCING METHANE EMISSIONS things we’ve tested in the lab,” he says. In previous studies in small tanks, for example, his team found that adding 1.4 litres of sulfuric acid per tonne of manure one time early in the summer reduced methane emissions by more than 85 per cent. Other additives, like gypsum, have also been effective in the lab. “These are things we’ve been testing in the lab in incubators at different temperatures using manure samples from 10 different Living Lab (participant) farms,” he says. “Now, we are working together with farmers to see how these mitigation options can be scaled up on working farms.” This year, the research team has installed sensors on one swine and one dairy farm that, over several years, will measure the volume of methane emissions and when they are happening throughout the year. The first year, which started in 2024, will serve as a baseline for methane emissions, and this information, combined with outside temperature readings, will be used to develop a prescription of when additives should be used and for how long in each region. Four other swine farms and four other dairy operations are also part of the projects. On those farms, researchers are installing in-storage sensors for manure depth and temperature as well as collecting manure samples for chemical analysis and incubation in the lab to determine how much methane each is producing. This information will be used in a model that will estimate methane production. Yorkland Farms, just north of St. Thomas, is the host of the swine farm sensor system. The 300-sow farrow- to-finish farm is owned and operated by the de Bekker family, who also crop 1,100 acres of corn, soy and wheat in rotation. “I had expressed interest that if I could be involved with any projects that would be of value to the industry, I’d be happy to contribute – and now, knowing what the project is, I couldn’t be happier,” explains Brad de Bekker. “Making improvements doesn’t always have to be difficult or expensive.” The farm, which doesn’t have any other swine farms close by, has an outdoor, round liquid manure pit as well as under-barn storage, making it an ideal research site. Thanks to the methane-detecting infrared lasers that were installed in early June, the research team has already learned that the bulk of the emissions were not coming from the outdoor pit, but rather from underneath the barns – which VanderZaag believes could be significant for the pork industry. “An outdoor storage will naturally not produce methane for six to seven months of the year because it is too cold, which means producers can potentially focus their mitigation strategy on only the four to five months of the year with warm temperatures, making it more economical,” he says. Under-barn storage, by comparison, could require year-round attention, but could also have lower overall emissions because the temperatures don’t get as hot as they do outdoors. More will be known by the project’s end. “What is relevant for farmers is that we will have actual measurements for swine operations in Ontario that can be improving the estimates that are used and ground-truthing the emissions estimates out there,” adds VanderZaag. “It’s really a great opportunity that we have here. We have technologies that let us do these measurements, we are able to share information, and we have this program where farmers are willing and interested in testing things out.” For de Bekker, changing on-farm practices is just part of keeping up with evolving industry standards; but at the same time, he likes to be ahead of the innovation curve. The family installed an injector on their manure tank, for example, and has built a wetland on a marginal piece of land. “If there is something that you can Manure stored outside is subject to weather conditions. Frank - stock.adobe.com
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