By Bruce Cochrane
A survey of custom swine manure applicators shows they are communicating more with their clients and taking more time planning manure applications in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading PED.
The first results from a survey being conducted by the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Madison to gather information on how custom swine manure applicators are dealing with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea was released earlier this month at the Livestock Manure Expo in Springfield, Missouri and will be discussed tomorrow as part of a webinar last week hosted by the Livestock Poultry and Environmental Learning Centre.
MLMMI executive director John Carney says custom manure applicators are being asked about changes they have made in their practices to manage and prevent the spread of PED, what challenges they have faced and what is or isn't working.
John Carney-Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative:
One of the first things, and I don't think anybody will be surprised to hear this, there's a lot of conversations taking place between hog producers and their commercial manure applicators about how to contain the spread of this virus.
It's top of mind for both producers and manure applicators.
We're seeing significantly more time going into planning the manure application, discussions taking place between the farm and the manure applicator about when are you coming, where have you been, what are you going to do, who's coming and all of those sorts of questions to plan the job and then after the job is finished of course more time and focus going on to cleaning, disinfecting and drying the equipment that's been used so that we're reducing the risk of cross contamination from one farm to another.
For more information or to link to the webinar visit the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management web site at manure.mb.ca.
Source: Farmscape