Alternatives

Three of many articles in the publication Greenbook '99 are referenced below. They require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

Published by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program (ESAP) the Greenbook '99 describes results from 40 on-farm demonstration grant projects researching sustainable and profitable methods of raising crops and livestock. Click here to access the entire Greenbook publication and program.
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ESAP/greenbook.html


Deep Straw Bedded Swine Finishing System Utilizing Hoop Buildings
Mark and Nancy Moulton are farrow to finish hog producers adjacent to a growing town. They wanted to minimize odours from their operation to ensure that they remained 'good neighbours' and could continue to produce pigs. With a water table just a few feet below the surface, the Moultons also wanted to continue to protect their water resources. They added a deep straw hoop house finishing building to their range of production methods and have been monitoring its economic, labour and environmental performance. Click here to read the article. http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ESAP/Greenbook1999/gb99moulton.pdf

Hoop Houses and Pastures for Mainstream Hog Producers
Tiring of the conventional wisdom that a small, mixed farming operation could not compete with large confinement livestock facilities, the Van der Pols wanted to demonstrate that their low-input system could be profitable and did not require excessive labour. Labour requirements and production figures for farrowing in hoop houses and on pasture in huts will be compared to figures from conventional confinement systems. Click here to read the article.
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ESAP/Greenbook1999/gb99vanderpol.pdf

Low Cost Sow Gestation in Hoop Structure
This project demonstrates a low cost, low odour, scale neutral, farmer and pig friendly gestation system using deep bedded hoop buildings for housing. Click here to read the article.
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ESAP/Greenbook1999/gb99stassen.pdf


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