Few issues can raise concern in rural communities like odour from farming operations. That's why pork producer Dwight Peregrym feels so strongly about the benefits of new technology he's installed in a barn on his operation.

As one of the thousands of Alberta producers to complete an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) since 2002, Lloydminster-area hog producer Dwight Peregrym knows that minimizing odour on his farm is not only about being a good neighbour, but a way to establish respect in his community.

"These days, producers must do their best when it comes to keeping a clean, nuisance-free environment," he says. "It's not enough to just farm anymore — you have to go that extra mile."

Minimizing odour on a hog operation can be an uphill battle, however. The good news is that a dry air system Peregrym installed a year ago has drastically reduced odour in one of his five barns. He has also seen a noticeable increase in animal health, a marked reduction in animal mortality, and an overall more comfortable working environment for himself and his employees.

First impressions

Peregrym's Hygrex dry air generator dehumidifies the air by taking saturated air from within the barn, mixing it with outside air and putting it through a closed loop air system. The clean air is then pumped back into the barn. In the process, particles of dust and ammonia are removed from the air inside the barn.

In 2005 the Canadian wing of the Hygrex company invited Peregrym to come to Germany to see the system at work in a hog barn. He accepted the invitation in October of that year.

"By any other standard, we should have been very smelly after visiting that barn," he says. "I couldn't believe how little odour there was on our clothes. I even bagged the coveralls I wore that day just to prove it to people."

Multiple benefits

In March 2006, Peregrym installed a Hygrex dry air generator in one of his five hog barns. Over that time he has observed a substantial increase in herd health in the barn. "We generally expect to lose 36 animals per barn over the course of a year," he says. "In the year since we installed the system, we've cut that number by at least 60 percent."

In terms of working conditions inside the barn, the first thing he noticed was a significant drop in humidity. "With this system, there is never more than 60 percent humidity in the barn; it is usually 40 percent in the summertime, when the difference is really noticeable," he says. "It's very comfortable, and promotes human and animal health."

Although it's still too early to tell for certain, Peregrym also anticipates that this decrease in humidity will also have an impact on money spent on replacing and repairing equipment damaged by rust created by humidity.

Now that the system has proven its value in one barn, he hopes to install Hygrex systems in his four other barns as well. "They're not cheap, but because of all of the efficiencies the one system has created, I wouldn't be surprised if it pays for itself in five to ten years," he says.

EFPs can help

Peregrym's company, DJ Hog Farms Ltd., was honoured with an Alberta Pork Environmental Stewardship Spectra Award in 2006 for his attention to environmental sustainability on his farm. He's also a supporter of the EFP program.

Developing an EFP can help producers develop a strategy to deal with nuisance control, in addition to a broad range of other on-farm environmental risks. Producers who complete an EFP are eligible for up to $50,000 for a wide variety of on-farm environmental improvements through the Canada-Alberta Farm Stewardship Program (CAFSP), which also offers technical assistance for environmental improvements.

More information on the EFP program is available on the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company Web site at www.AlbertaEFP.com or by calling toll-free 1-866-844-2337. For more information on CAFSP, call the program office toll-free at 1-800-667-8567.

This article is reprintable with credit to AEFP as follows "Reprinted courtesy of the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company; www.albertaEFP.com".