Research Shows Certain Methods of Manure Handling More Biosecure than Others

Preliminary results of a wean to harvest biosecurity research program study suggest certain methods of swine manure handling are more biosecure than others.
As part of research conducted under the Swine Health Information Center, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and Pork Checkoff funded Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program, a team of scientists with the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine is investigating the effects of manure pumping on disease spread.

SHIC Associate Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder says the goal is to identify the risk factors associated with manure pumping on disease spread and to assess the environmental surface contamination in and around pumping activities.

Quote-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center:

There's been several activities that are associated with manure pumping that have been evaluated such as the date and the site, the application method, the facility storage, the season of pumping, the length of pumping duration and the type of crops that the manure is utilized on for its nutritional value and then correlating that to disease onset looking at both PRRS and PEDv.

There's been some interesting preliminary analysis looking at the cumulative mortality that occurs in the two weeks immediately post pumping, looking at transport method of manure, the application method and the facility storage.One of the interesting findings in the preliminary analysis but that's been revealed through this initial investigation is that there's a lower mortality rate on those sites that transported manure using tanks compared to those sites that used a drag hose.

Thinking about that there are certainly aspects to manure pumping that can be more biosecure or reduce risk of disease spread to a greater extent.Dr. Niederwerder notes this one-year project is at about the halfway point and is scheduled to conclude in March 2024.