This document provides an overview of the Harrison Farms operation and projects conducted there to study nutrients, emissions, and odors from hog facilities. The family-owned farm finishes 4000 hogs across five buildings on three sites in northwest Wisconsin. Studies looked at air quality modeling of facility emissions, a best management practice challenge program, and developing a protocol for pre-agitation manure sampling from under-floor pits. While water monitoring was not possible given the landscape, the projects generated useful data for pork producers and the industry. All related reports are available online.

1. Understanding Nutrients, Emissions & Odors at Harrison Farms - 1 Farm, Site, and Projects Paul Kivlin - UW Extension/NPM/Discovery Farms Kevan Klingberg - UW Extension/Discovery Farms Kate Meeks – Communications Intern / Discovery Farms

2. Farm Overview E & L Harrison Enterprises, Inc. is a 4000 hog finishing operation owned by Lynn and Patricia Harrison. The operation consists of five hog finishing buildings, at three locations: Dunn and Chippewa counties, northwest of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

4. Farm Overview The Harrison family has raised hogs since 1913, when Lynn’s grandfather moved to the area. Until the spring of 1998 the operation was farrow-to-finish: Farrowed 6 x / yr in outside lots, avg 16 to 17 piglets per sow/litter. “Similar operations in total confinement were averaging 20 + piglets per sow/litter. We weren’t competitive anymore,” Lynn says. Considered building a big sow farrowing set-up. Ultimately started buying feeder pigs, put up total confinement finishing barns and transitioned to raising feeder pigs to market weight.

5. Farm Overview Lynn and Pat are active with Wisconsin Pork Association (WPA) and the National Pork Board. Lynn served three terms on the WPA board of directors, President in 1997 and 2005, Lynn remained on board as reorganized from Wisconsin Pork Producers Association to Wisconsin Pork Association. Lynn served on the National Pork Board from 2002 – 2008, President from July 2007 – July 2008, Lynn served within the National Pork Board Environmental Committee, that oversees check off funded research related to environmental issues surrounding the pork industry.

6. Site Characteristics The general landscape of this farmland is gently sloping, with isolated moderate slopes, 0 - 10 %. Landscape varies from cropland, pastureland, and scattered woodland along riparian areas. USDA Soil Survey maps indicate that a majority of the farm has sandy loam soil characteristics.

7. Site Characteristics Along with the hogs, Harrison farm ~ 700 acres of corn and soybeans: 320 acres of cropland under irrigation, 250 acres of highly erodible land (HEL). Has used no-till crop establishment practices since 1993, typically maintaining 50-70% crop residue levels. Swine manure is injected into the soil each fall and spring to meet crop nutrient needs. Fields typically receive manure every other year.

8. Site Characteristics Soybeans after corn grain 50 % surface residue after planting 1-pass 30 “ rows, planter follows (3) coulter-cart.

9. Site Characteristics Manure injection slots into corn residue (Top Left). Manure injection slots into soybean residue (Bottom Left).

10. Farm Overview One of the Harrison properties is located near the Muddy Creek State Wildlife Area and Old Elk Lake, a unique and somewhat rare shallow prairie pothole lake. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/wildlife_areas/muddycreek.htm

11. Muddy Creek Wildlife Area Old Elk Lake with Harrison cropland immediately to NW

12. Old Elk Lake with Harrison cropland immediately to NW

13. Farm Overview Significant development pressure felt from nearby Eau Claire and Menomonie to subdivide around Old Elk Lake. At the same time, the WI DNR wanted to expand the Muddy Creek Wildlife Area and buy land around Old Elk Lake to protect as a wildlife sanctuary. Lynn and Pat decided they didn’t want their farm to end up subdivided into rural residences: Sold 77 acres that adjoined Old Elk Lake to the DNR, Sold the development rights on another 350 acres surrounding the lake.

14. Farm Overview Purchase / selling of development rights is a mechanism for protecting farmland from development. Landowner voluntarily sells development rights to public agency, land trust, unit of government. The right to develop or subdivide land is permanently relinquished. Landowner retains all other rights and responsibilities: right to farm and post as private property, responsibility to pay property taxes.

15. Projects Conducted at Harrison Farms Air Quality Impacts Air quality (emissions and odor) has been a challenge for the swine industry for decades. Harrison’s 5 barns (3 different feedlot locations) were evaluated using facility emission data and a regulatory air quality model. The WI Ambient Air Quality Standards and U.S. EPA Reference Concentrations were used to evaluate potential public nuisance and public health impacts.

16. Projects Conducted at Harrison Farms Best Management Practice Challenge Agricultural best management practices (BMP) are designed to protect natural resources and farm profits. Some farmers are reluctant to adopt BMPs because they fear profit loss. To increase adoption of BMP’s, a collaboration of private / public organizations created a program called the “BMP Challenge”. BMP challenge provides insurance, Pays producers if the adopted best management practice reduces crop yield and net income. During the early phases of this national initiative, the Harrisons participated in verifying the implementation protocols developed to run the larger program.

17. Projects Conducted at Harrison Farms Sampling Protocol For Under Floor Swine Manure Storage Pits Proper manure sampling and analysis is important to determine the nutrient content of manure and define appropriate application rates. Typically, manure sampling is done as liquid pits are agitated and emptied. By the time lab analysis results are received, the manure has (typically) already been applied. The purpose of this study was to determine whether accurate, pre-agitation samples could be obtained. Can pre-agitated samples be analyzed and accurately reflect swine manure nutrient content so that field specific application rates can be decided before the pit is emptied?

18. Conclusion Unlike most Discovery Farm locations, the Harrison farm did not have in-stream or edge-of-field water monitoring. Topography did not lend to finding appropriate side by side basins where Harrison had full management of the small watershed. While this location did not have an appropriate landscape for water monitoring, the conducted projects provided valuable information for swine producers and the agricultural industry as a whole.

19. Information Available This presentation is the first in a series of four developed to provide the data and information collected at E & L Harrison Enterprises, Inc. There are 4 factsheets, 4 briefs and 4 presentations associated with this project. All factsheets, briefs and presentations are available on the UW - Discovery Farms website. http://www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org

20. Acknowledgement Thank you to the Wisconsin Pork Association for their interest and support of this project.

21. For Additional Information http://www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org UW Discovery Farms 40195 Winsand Drive PO Box 429 Pigeon Falls, WI 54760 1-715-983-5668 jgoplin@wisc.edu Kevan.klingberg@ces.uwex.edu