ALMA funded hog manure project successful
Kingdom Farms, an 1,800-head hog operation in Alberta, Canada is half way through construction of a pilot livestockwater recycling system installed on its homebase.
The technology will utilise the 250,000 litres of hog manure produced yearly and will convert up to 75% of that manure into water for agricultural and ethanol production. The facility will also significantly reduce odours from the farm and could reduce about 5,000 metric tonnes of CO2 each year.
For this $900,000 project, Alberta Livestock and Meat Industry (ALMA) is contributing more than $230,000 to Kingdom Farms.
Just by not having to haul this manure that is being used, hog producer Will Kingma said he could potentially save close to $250,000 per year on his bottom line – not including reduced truck traffic and environmental benefits. The benefits of this project will also include savings of up to $10 per finished hog.
“It was an easy decision to provide funding for this project because it addresses one of ALMA’s key priorities of increasing competitiveness for our producers by driving change in the industry,” said ALMA CEO Gordon Cove. “It’s the first commercial application of this great technology in Alberta.”
Kingdom Farms isn’t the only pork-related project receiving financing from ALMA. The agency is also funding a pilot project to look at various production standards, which are recognised by buyers as part of their quality assurance programs.
“With this project we are going to explore the definition of certified producer standards for hog farms in this province,” said Stuart McKie, a policy specialist with Alberta Pork. “This includes food safety, biosecurity and animal care. This project will get producers more money for their product. It’ll be a ticket to get your product onto the retail shelf.”
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