Hubbard Feeds, based out of Mankato, Minnesota, is a leader in providing nutrition and feed for swine and other animals. Their focus on educating producers about the ties between health and performance of swine is evident through the resources, such as podcasts and newsletters, that they offer their dealers on their website.
In the March 2012 issue of their Swine Solutions Newsletter, Hubbard wrote an article called “Clearing the Air – Negatively Charged Ions Improve Barn Air Quality and Pig Growth”. The article informs the livestock producers that beyond animal nutrition, air quality in the animals’ barn is also important to their health. The technology they describe for controlling dust emissions is called EPI (Electrostatic Particle Ionization) and is manufactured by Baumgartner Environics.
The article showcases what both New Fashion Pork and Murphy-Brown have already experienced with EPI – that dust reduction translates to better performance. Dr. Chris Rademacher of Murphy-Brown explains what happens when young pigs inhale dust, “…it robs pigs of some of the energy and nutrients we’re supplying for growth.”
But the benefits of EPI are not just for the animals. There is also an advantage to the surrounding community, as described by John Baumgartner, President of Baumgartner Environics. “If you take 50% or more of the dust out of the air, that’s emissions that never leave the barn, it’s not going out the fan and getting into the outside environment.”
Livestock producers need to be proactive with environmental issues, now more then ever. EPI Air provides an easy and cost effective way to improve agricultural air quality issues.
Read the Complete Article “Clearing the Air” in Hubbard’s Swine Solutions Newsletter