tt-Uncattsr ‘Finning, Saturday; torch 7, 1^92
|PV| Pork Prose
DEAD PIGS
Animal rights, manure odors,
and lousy market prices have given
pork producers their share of
aggravation.
Now I’m about to suggest that
another issue is waiting to erupt for
every livestock producer.
Dead animals.
We generate a lot of them, and I
suspect that sooner or later some
one is going to figure that out. The
first question will be, “What does
the industry do with all of those
carcasses?” Our answer, if we’re
honest, may not give us high
marks.
How Many Dead
Hogs Does
Pennsylvania “Produce?”
I’m sure anyone knows for sure.
But we can assume that from each
litter of pigs, one will be bom dead
and another will die before
weaning.
Before market, another half a
pig will die. A rough estimate of
these death losses would be about
40 pounds per litter. Sows will
average about two litters per year,
which makes the annual death los
ses about 80 pounds per sow.
Multiply that times the 100,000
sows in Pennsylvania (as of
December 1991) and we have a
staggering pile of dead hogs.
How Are We
Supposed To Dispose?
According to Pennsylvania Act
317, passed in 1945, we have three
options: bum, bury, or render.
Producers . . owning any ani
mal that has died shall not allow
the carcass to lie about his pre
mises.” (We’re hardly ever guilty
MMFRMAN
If 11 TI» bI 1,1 1 New Holland. PA 17557
’ ’ MFG. CORP. (717> 354-9611
by
Kenneth B. Kephart
Penn State Extension Swine Specialist
of that) And, .. such carcasses
shall be disposed of within 48
hours after death ..
This act provides no details on
burning. However, the Department
of Environmental Resources
(DER) does have recommended
criteria for emissions from “cre
matory incinerators.”
If a producer chooses the burial
route, the site must not be subject
to overflow from ponds or streams,
and must be at least “... 100 feet
from any water course, well or
spring, public highway, house or
stable.” In addition, the carcass
must be covered with at least three
inches of lime and two feet of soil.
Renderers must be licensed, and
there are requirements listed for
the how the tenderer must operate.
How Do Producers
Dispose Of Dead Pigs?
Here are my own observations,
plus information from a highly
unscientific survey that I con
ducted over the last few weeks.
Rendering. Most of the large
operations choose this alternative.
Environmentally, it’s certainly a
sound practice since the material is
recycled and does not lead to
ground water contamination or air
pollution.
The cost for pickup of material
continues to go up, however. Pro
ducers in the southeastern part of
Pennsylvania pay from $7 to $l2
per trip. Most large operations
require twice-a-weck pickup,
which comes to an annual cost of
$728-$1,248.
Biosecurity is a potential riSk
when sending dead animals to the
rcndercr. You should assume thpt
the rendering truck is loaded with
any organism that’s ever been
invented. Use the same precau
tions at the time of dead animal
pickup or drop off that you would
in an auction bam.
Incineration. The most popular
incinerators in this state appear to
be those manufactured by R&K
Incinerator, Inc. (Decatur, Ind.),
and Shenandoah (Harrisonburg,
Va.).
The Shenandoah unit comes
with an LP gas, fuel oil, or natural
gas burner. It's a top-loading
device that is best suited for small
animals. Large market hogs and
sows would have to be disas
sembled before loading. All mater
ial is held by grate which is
mounted above the burner. The
sides of the unit are protected from
heat damage with a concrete-like
liner.
The R&K unit is a round, hori
zontal steel tank with a fuel oil bur
ner at one end and a stack at the
other. The six models range from a
100-pound to 600-pound capacity.
The R&K incinerator has no grate,
and since animals are loaded from
the side, it’s relatively easy to
accommodate large market hogs
and sows. Prices range from about
sl,ooo-$2,000. Since the flame is
above the dead pigs, all smoke and
gases rising from the material arc
quickly oxidized.
Pennsylvania’s DER requires
that livestock incinerators meet
guidelines foremissions, tempera
ture, visible air contamination
(smoke), and retention time (time
from air intake to exhaust).
According to the unit’s specifica
tions. all of these criteria are met
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ZIMMERMAN
Rugged,
Heavy Duty
WAGON
GEAR -
Models
06-08-10
Also Models
12 & 14.5
iem
except visible air contamination.
The company literature does not
provide any specifications for that
criterion.
Although the R&K tank con
tains no heat-protecting liner, most
producers get a useful life of five to
seven years from these units. Some
producers make minor welding
repairs and are able to extend the
life to 10 years or more.
The manufacturer recommends
that the unit be run for two hours
each day after material is added,
for a total of 12-14 hours per week.
However, most producers tend to
bum only about six hours per
week. The key is not to try to com
pletely bum the material as soon as
it’s added. Intermittent burying
will be just as effective, and it will
also greatly extend (he life of the
tank.
If the largest unit (600-pound
capacity, 2.75 gallons of fucl/hour)
were used for 14 hours per week, it
could easily handle a 300-sow
farrow-to-finish operation. At
sl/gal, the annual fuel cost would
be about $2,000. Add to this a
depreciation value of $4OO, and the
total cost of dead pig disposal
amounts to $2,400, which doesn’t
compare too favorably with the
current costs of rendering.
Burial. Burial requires a little
more work, but it’s generally the
most practical system for opera
tions off the beaten path, and it’s
cheap.
The biggest concern I have with
burial is way it’s done. Many pro
ducers dig a trench, fill the trench
LAND PRIDE EE
IS’ ROTARY CUTTER
Land Pride 15’ Rotary Cutter
offers rugged dependability
Starting with a 10-gauge deck for the center section and wings,
we’ve added effective reinforcement channels to each section for
superior strength. With a mowing height ranging from 2" to 14”, it
can also handle material up to two inches thick. With two self
leveling rods from front to rear, mowing height can easily be main
tained, as well as deck-flexing being held to a minimum.
PENNSYLVANIA
1066 Lincoln Way West
Straley Farm Supply, Inc. Chambersburg, PA 17201
1760 East Canal Road 717-263-8424
Dover, PA 17315
717-292-2631
I.G. Salat & Servlet
Box 200
Stoltzfus Farm Servlet Silverdale, PA 18961
Cochranville, PA 215*257-5135
215-593-2407
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-8501
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2SOO
Nicarry Equipment Co.
Marshall Machinery, Inc. RD 2 > Rl. 61, 3 Miles S. ol
Route 642 Leesport, Reading, PA
Honesdale, PA 18431 215-926-2441
717-729-7117
Plkevllle Equipment Inc. Reed Brothers
M.S. Yearsley & Sons RD 2, Oysterdale Road Petticoat Bridge Rd.
West Chester, PA Oley, PA 19547 Columbus, NJ. 08022
215-696-2990 215-967-6277 609-267-3363
with dead pigs, and cover as they
go. If they cover with lime (most
people don’t) and two feet of soil,
this method is technically legal.
But in time, enough rotting flesh
could accumulate that ground
water could easily be contami
nated, especially in areas of limes
tone, sink holes, shale, or sand.
Manure Spreader. Not legal,
and not in the best interest of
biosecurity.
Buzzards. Some operations
have established a symbiotic rela
tionship with the local buzzard
population. Dead hogs are hauled
up on the hillside, and the buzzards
do their thing, sometimes, I am
told, within a matter of hours. This
is another routine that is not listed
in the 1945 law.
Alligators. Popular in Florida.
Ernie Nunez maintains more than
7,000 gators to clean up the dead
from 2,000 sows and 200 cows.
It’s working for the poultry
industry, and 1 think it has promise
for the hog industry. Dead animals,
straw, and manure are mixed
together and Mother Nature does
the rest.
If the pile is kept aerobic (at
least 30 percent free air space) at
the right moisture level (40-60 per
cent) and the correct pH (5-12), the
organic material will decompose
under temperatures of about 150
degrees F. That’s enough to kill
harmful microorganisms.
(Turn to Pag* C 3)
Stouffer Bros. Inc.
Norman D. Clark &
Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
Loysville, PA
717-789-3117
What About
Composting?
Tractor Parts Co.
33S Central Road
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
717-784-0250
NEW JERSEY"!
Caldwell Tractor &
Equipment, Inc.
480 U.S. Route 46
Fairfield, N.J. 07006
201-227-6772
Rodlo Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonlon, N.J. 08037
609-561-0141
Frank Rymon & Sons,
Inc.
RD 3, Box 355
Washington, N.J. 07882
201-689-1464