Farm-Scape is sponsored by Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Play Audio Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.

Farm-Scape, Episode 1388

The operators of a Naicam, Saskatchewan hog farm suggest seeking opportunities within challenge is an effective approach to managing the environmental implications of intensive livestock production.

Peter and Shirley Voldeng were named Saskatchewan's outstanding young farm couple for 2002 and they were on hand yesterday for Saskatchewan Pork Industry symposium 2003.

They manage Fairway Farms, one of the operations involved in a pilot project designed to test an Environmental Management Systems standard being developed for Canadian swine industry.

Production Coordinator Shirley Voldeng says, while several strategies can be implemented to protect the environment including water and energy conservation, manure seems to draw the most attention.

"To us it's just another aspect of our operation. We market our pigs, we have garbage products we have to get rid of and we've got this manure that's there so we may as well look for opportunity to make use of that.

In Saskatchewan and in our situation particularly we are trying to turn it into an economic benefit for us and for our neighboring farmers because we have this product that can be use and in our Saskatchewan situation we have the land base to be able to do that.

There's other places where you can't be injecting manure in the land because it would have an environmental impact so they are coming up with ways of utilizing energy from biogas from manure and composting.

There is some different ideas in different areas that are being used".

Voldeng says manure management is just one of the many environmental considerations in the day to day operation of an intensive livestock production unit and her operation prefers to deal with it in a positive manner.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.