Just a few blocks from my farm office at the north edge of Olivia is Baumgartner Environics, the environomental technology firm generating some huge buzz in the swine industry thanks to its patented Electrostatic Particle Ionization system. So what is EPI? A package that generates negatively charged ions to clear the air of dust and other harmful emissions such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. But does it work? And what's the payback? Dr. Chris Rademacher, Director of Production Improvment, Western Operations, Murphy-Brown LLC (world's largest hog production operation) spoke at recent American Associaiton of Swine Veterinarians in Denver about their results with EPI. On 5 runs with 2,000 nursery pigs per test run, he reported:
However his data relating to 'payback' really caught the attention of his audience.
Rademacher said that typically his firm gets excited about 3.5% improvments in growth and performance. This EPI system generated 12% improvment. Operating costs of the EPI system are only about 24 cents/day in a 2,000 head nursery (10 cent/Kw). Tests are now underway to see if the EPI system might also reduce infections from PRRS (Porcine Reproductive & Respiratory Syndrome), one of the costliest problems in the swine industry. |
