A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 18, 2003
Franklin Hog Farm Manager
(Continued from Page A 1)
the media in light of increasing
attention to issues such as odor,
water quality, and animal treat
ment on hog farms.
Part of the training included
agricultural reporters asking
them questions about hog pro
duction. That was the easy part,
according to Sollenberger. A
mock television interview was
more challenging.
“They were asking tough ques
tions,” Sollenberger said.
At home, Sollenberger hasn't
had any problems with neighbors
or media challenging the opera
tion. One likely reason is that the
farm’s location in the Cumber
land Valley near the Tuscarora
Mountains seems ideal. It is
mostly surrounded by dairy
farms, and no housing develop
ments can be seen for miles
around.
While the farm itself is only 96
acres, about 1,500 acres of neigh
boring land are approved
through the Pennsylvania Nutri-
Sollenberger takes a look through the microscope,
used for checking serpen samples. This laboratory is used
for semen analysis and short-term semen storage.
f/Ai »r/.. .11
ent Management Act to receive
manure from the operation. Most
of the land belongs to dairy farm
ers who get the manure for free
and are usually happy to have it.
The 1,500 acres is actually
about three times as many acres
as are required by law for the size
of the operation, Sollenberger
said. But because of weather
challenges (especially in wet
years such as this one) and farm
er preferences, the extra acres
allow a lot more flexibility in get
ting the manure out without
compacting soil or overapplying
nutrients.
Giving away the manure helps
keep hauling costs down, because
nearby farmers are more likely to
take it.
“If you give it, they want it
more, and you don’t have to haul
it as far,” Sollenberger said.
“We try to keep our manure
within a three-mile radius,” he
said. “I can’t say it always hap
pens, but we try.”
He estimated about 90 percent
of the manure is spread on fields
within three miles of the farm.
Franklin Hog Farm’s location in the Cumberland Valley near the Tuscarora Mountains
seems ideal for avoiding neighborhood conflicts. It is mostly surrounded by dairy farms,
and no housing developments can be seen for miles around.
Franklin Hog Farm uses a
two-stage lagoon system. In the
first stage, solids drop out and
the less concentrated manure
then moves to the second stage.
The stage-2 manure has only
about one-third of the original ni
trogen concentration, allowing
more flexibility for spreading on
neighbors’ fields with less risk of
applying too much nitrogen or
phosphorus.
Sollenberger said he is prepar
ed for phosphorus planning to be
required in the near future as
part of the state’s Nutrient Man
agement Act overhaul.
Another way Sollenberger has
tried to stay ahead of the regula
tion curve: “We made sure our
(manure) hauler is certified.”
According to Sollenberger, the
Nutrient Management Act, as it
(Turn to Page A4O)
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