Barns

All Barns Content

Gravel road with swine barn in the distance.

Air Infiltration in Swine Barns

Air infiltration in large, confined swine operations has been an on-going problem for producers for many years. Regardless of technological advancements in building design and construction, unwanted air penetration continues to be a consistent problem.

A statue of a dairy cow on a landscaped terrace in front of a long dairy barn.

South Dakota Odor Footprint Tool

Two-part fact sheets explaining the South Dakota Odor Footprint Tool. Part I: Principles and Tools and Part II: Examples.

A large swine barn at the edge of a field.

Optical Dust Meters May Misestimate Dust Concentrations in Animal Barns

Fact sheet aiming to address the measurement bias issue associated with optical dust meters.

Are You Moving Enough Air in Your Calving Barn? Part 3: Ventilation requirements

Appropriate environments for calving barns are critical to give calves the best start when being born in cold weather. Calves require a dry, clean environment, with lots of fresh air and protection from the wind. A dry and clean environment is critical to avoid transmission of both scours and respiratory disease organisms, and this is primarily accomplished by providing clean bedding and proper ventilation.

A vet and a producer examining a calf with the calf's mother in the foreground.

Are You Moving Enough Air in Your Calving Barn? Part 2: Effects of ineffective winter ventilation

High humidity, moisture, and increased levels of air contaminants due to ineffective ventilation can lead to significant health issues in our animals. This is especially of concern to our most sensitive sub-population, newborns and the very young. Even calves that receive adequate colostrum and a good nutritional start to life will have health challenges if they live in highly contaminated environments.

A slatted floor with an open area. A hose is running into the open area.

New Technology for an Old Problem

One of the last projects I was involved with as coordinator for the Lower James River Watershed Project was the installation of a deep pit monoslope barn for a feedlot operation near Alexandria, SD. A deep pit confinement barn is a manure storage system that employs slatted flooring with pit manure storage underneath.

An aerial view of a series of swine finishing facilities.

Methods to Slow Finishing Pig Growth

In abnormal situations, like with the packing plant closure we’re currently dealing with, pork producers may need to “hold” their pigs past normal marketing dates in order for other processing options to open up. We can accomplish that in two ways: altering internal barn environment and changing diets.