Published: February 27, 2008 05:07 pm            

Pork Professor: Conserve energy in the barn to reduce pork production costs

Originally published in the February 22, 2008, print edition.

Market conditions have significantly reduced the profitability of pork production over the past several months. Feed prices have increased dramatically, along with construction and labor costs, while hog prices have dropped over the past couple of months.

Although the initial reaction of pork producers in times like these may be to look at cutting corners, the best plan is to evaluate the various areas of costs and returns, and determine how to more efficiently produce pork on the farm. One area to evaluate is energy usage and expense.

During a recent presentation for our PorkCast online seminar series, Iowa State University’s Jay Harmon, an agricultural engineer, highlighted several areas and opportunities to more efficiently utilize energy and cut back on power costs.

With the significant increase in cost of propane (more than double from 10 years ago), gasoline (up 50 percent over the last three years) and electricity, one can reap substantial savings by evaluating and investing in ways to improve ventilation, heating, lighting and equipment.

In a typical swine barn, 85 to 90 percent of the heat loss is associated with ventilation. Improper ventilation management, whether it provides too little or too much air exchange, can be costly. Animals lose heat to the environment via convection (air movement), conduction (contact with floor and wall surfaces), evaporation (moisture) and radiation (surfaces not in contact with).

Observing the pigs will determine whether they are comfortable or not; pigs lying on their sides and slightly touching other pigs is an indication that pigs are comfortable.

Many barns are maintained at too hot of a temperature. Overheating a 1,000-head nursery by 4 degrees Fahrenheit, assuming $1.85-per-gallon propane, increases annual cost of heating by almost 50 percent. For grow-finish pigs, keep temperatures on the cool side to stimulate feed intake.

Avoiding severe temperature swings (10 F or more) is more important in maintaining animal comfort and health than is overall temperature. However, maintaining temperatures below the pig’s comfort zone increases the amount of feed utilized to maintain body temperature, thereby reducing feed utilization for gain.

Should we be adding insulation to our barns? Only if barns are poorly insulated to begin with. Increasing ceiling insulation in a barn from R30 to R40 would improve energy savings by less than $100 per year, but increasing from R10 to R40 would result in over $500 in energy savings annually. Concrete sidewalls should be insulated, reducing both direct and indirect heat loss and keeping barns drier due to less condensation.

Is air coming into the barn from designed inlets, or elsewhere? Ensure inlets are set properly and air is not leaking from other sources. Curtains that are improperly adjusted and do not provide adequate overlap when closed (at least 3 inches) can serve to over-ventilate barns.

Ensuring that heaters and exhaust fans are appropriately set with each other and temperature sensors are correctly located will ensure that temperature needs of the pig are met during cold winter months while not wasting extra energy.

Provide enough heater offset (1.5 F) to prevent overshooting desired temperatures. Having the heater offset too tight can result in exhaust fans kicking in too soon and working alternatively with heaters, thereby greatly increasing energy costs.

Oversized heaters are less efficient than properly sized ones, and can also contribute toward overshooting temperature goals and fighting against first stage fan(s).

Ensure fans are properly sized and the appropriate motor curve is set in the controller. Different fans have different efficiency ratings, and some utility companies offer rebates for use of more efficient fans in barns.

When working with young pigs or piglets, supplemental heat is required. Using hovers and space heating, while maintaining overall room temperature at a lower level, is much more efficient; in the case of farrowing barns, also keeps sows from getting over heated.

Use of lamp and mat controls to provide variable output allows creep temperature to be managed while saving energy.

Use of compact fluorescent versus incandescent light bulbs also pays dividends. An 18-watt compact fluorescent bulb rated at 1,200 lumens costs $6.77 but provides 10,000 hours life, compared to a 75 W bulb rated at 1,065 lumens that costs only $0.38 but also only provides 750 hours life. Annual cost of operating the incandescent bulb eight hours per day would be approximately $23, compared to only $6 for the fluorescent bulb.

Evaluating energy costs and opportunities for increasing energy efficiencies can greatly reduce production costs while potentially improving animal comfort. For more information on reducing power costs, view Jay Harmon’s entire presentation on our PorkCast website at www.extension.umn.edu/swine/porkcast.

        

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