—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 6,1978
48
Nebraska
(Continued from Page 32)
drawn across the front of the
building. These panels or
curtains are the key to both
ventilation and temperature
control within the building.
Joe Zimmerman, a pig
farmer near Stevens in
Lancaster County, agrees
wholeheartedly with
Younkm’s assessment of the
learning requirement. New
in the business, Zimmerman
does not claim to know the
answers to hog
management, but - like
many others - he is gaming
experience with his
Nebraska Unit and he is well
pleased with the results he
has seen so far. He has en
countered only two minor
problems thus far, those
being improper height of
gates and too large of a
spacing between the pipes
which make up the gates.
The problem, he says, is that
pigs can manage to shift
their heads underneath the
petitions while sleeping, only
to find themselves stuck
when they want to get up.
The solution, he advises, is to
have the gates no more than
three inches off the ground in
pens designed for younger
pigs, and no more than four
to 4V2 inches for gates near
the “marketing end.”
Similar widths would apply
for pipe spacmgs within the
gates themselves
Zimmerman was in
terviewed by Lancaster
Farming at about 10-30 on
Wednesday morning - a
bright and beautiful day
The curtain had been ad
justed twice up until that
time - illustrating the fact
that the Nebraska unit’s
natural ventilation principle
needs attention. “This isn’t
something for the fellow who
wants to farm part-time and
spend most of his day in an
office,” he advised “You
have to be here and adjust
the curtain periodically m
order to make the building
work properly, and it is
definitely a learning ex
perience,” he emphasized.
Zimmerman and his
father built their Nebraska
Umt last Fall Their own
I
jmmerman
service room to medicate portions of his watering
system. Medicated drinking water can be
to any one of fou> housing sections
labor input saved tremen
dously on costs. The building
has been in use since mid
December and the second
batch of hogs is soon ready to
go to market. With only a
few months of actual ex
perience with Jus 1000-head
capacity unit, Zimmerman
makes no claim to be an
expert But he has been
observant and he’s con
vinced that the Nebraska
Unit is a good thing. Other
farmers interviewed by
Lancaster Farming agree,
and Penn State’s Younkin
has found similar verdicts
all across the state. He
himself is convinced of the
structure’s merits.
At a Lancaster County
Swine Producers’ Day m
February, Younkm stated:
“The Nebraska Unit is the
best building a swine
producer can build. It will
stay a lot warmer than the
others, but as with any other,
you have to manage it. It’s
important to leam how to
use it.”
Although the Nebraska
Unit is often thought of as not
needing supplementary
heat, Younkm advises that
heat be provided during
severely cold weather.
Most of the Nebraska
Units in the area have
heeded that advice. Owners
of several units in Lancaster
County all indicated they
supply heat to the first and
second group of pens. The
reason is that the small pigs
aren’t capable of generating
enough heat among them
selves to keep the building
warm.
Harold Kurtz of Manheun,
who has been and continues
to be instrumental in in
troducing the units to area
hog producers, heats the
first two of the four sections
in his 1280-head capacity
Nebraska Umt. Zimmerman
does the same with his
facility Both rely on hot
water to do the job. If
Zimmerman had to do it
over again, however, he said
he’d space the heating pipes
closer together. The 1-mch
diameter pipes are presently
four feet apart. Nevetheless,
his building stays warm. A
Jl:| * j
An exterior view of the Nebraska Unit at Joe
Zimmerman’s farm shows the open side, with
curtains rolled up at mid-position for maximum
exposure to warm Spring air and sunshine.
thermostat placed about 4%
feet above the floor is set at
between 60 and 55 degrees.
Most owners of Nebraska
Units claim the temperature
inside the building rarely
drops below 55 degrees on
even the coldest days. That’s
largely due to the design of
the building.
Nebraska Units face south
to take advantage of the
sun’s warmth. Open at the
south side, the building is
characterized by eitner
curtains or panels which can
be raised or lowered as
needed to control ventilation
and temperature. The roof
slopes downward to the rear
of the building where the
wall height is approximately
five feet. In comparison, the
distance from floor to roof is
about 9% feet up front. In
Zimmerman’s case, as well
as many others, the roof has
a pitch of 1% inches per foot.
Zimmerman, unlike some
SOLID - SEMI-SOLD - LIQUID WASTE SYSTEMS
others, allowed for a bit
more insulation in his
building than some others
do. There are a httle over six
inches of fibreglass in
sulation in the ceiling, as
well as a layer of insulation
in the floor, and back wall.
For further protection from
the cold, the rear wall is
sunk into the ground and
shielded by an embankment.
There is sufficient room at
the rear, however, to operate
24-mch wide panels which
run the length of the
building. They’re opened in
warm weather to allow for a
greater flow of air.
Proper construction of the
Nebraska Unit is important
if it is expected to function
properly. Zimmerman
points out that the ceiling
panels, for example, must be
placed parallel to the width
of the building so that the
ridges and lines which the
panel might have will not
Pump into an earthen bank stor
age or lagoon - no worries to
spread on growing in
summer or on frozen in
winter.
Haul once or twice a year.
We are designing and installing
for summer and winter of 1978
now.
Call for appointment to see some
pumps in action.
Finished pigs are loaded out and up the ramp at
the near end of the building. Two feed bins at each
end provide feed to various groups of pens.
obstruct with natural air
flow.
Another important feature
is the 4-mch opening just
beneath the roof on the open
side. It too runs the full
length of the structure. The
purpose of this opening is to
allow for permanent cir
culation of air. It stays open
even in the coldest weather
when curtains or panels are
closed in the front.
While many Nebraska Uit
ownrs prefer slatted floors
and pits, they’re not
essential to the operation of
the system. If they are a part
of the structure, then the
management of odors and
gases become what Younkin
describes as a “pretty
ticklish situation.”
Most Nebraska Unit
managers report no
problems with odors and
gases. With the building
open during warm weather,
the pit is naturally ven-
tilated During cold weather,
however, Younkin believes
odors could linger inside the
building in uncomfortable
concentrations. He therefore
recommends that pit fans be
installed. They need not
affect the conditions in the
acutal swine housing area
and would only need to run
during times when the
building is pretty well closed
up, thus preventing efficient
natural ventilation. Younkin
suggests one fan for every 50
feet, noting that fan
diameter size should be
between 18 and 24 mches
The Penn State swine
specialist emphasizes the
important of gas and odor
elimination. ‘‘Odors and
gases can cause a lot of
irritability in pigs,” he
stresses. A fan system for
the pit and supplemental
heat for the younger pigs is
what Younkin highly
(Turn to Page 49)
crops
ground