Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

New Swine Environmental Management Database Now Available to Producers and Researchers

 

Contacts:
Robert Burns, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, (515) 294-4203, rburnsiastate.edu
Lara Moody, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, (515) 294-7355, lmoodyiastate.edu
Ember Muhlbauer, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, (515)294-3153, emberiastate.edu

 

AMES, IA— A newly developed searchable web-based database can be used to quickly locate published information regarding environmental management practices on US pork production facilities. The database was developed by a team lead by Dr. Robert Burns, a faculty member in the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at Iowa State University and was funded by the National Pork Board. The searchable database is available at www.pork.org/environmentalmanagement.

“The database provides a fast and convenient method to identify papers published from 1960 through 2006 regarding environmental management options and information specific to the pork production in the United States. The database also provides a basic summary of each paper as well as the paper abstract and citation,” said Dr. Robert Burns.

Simple and advanced search options allow a flexible search solution according to specific needs. Searchable categories for the database include:

• Topic category (including surface water quality, groundwater quality, water use and conservation, air emissions and odor, land quality or crop impact, or a combination of these)
• Keyword
• Investigators
• Research institution
• Funding source

The database includes fields for project title, research institution, funding source, approximate project cost, paper citation, contact information for the principal investigator, a layman’s summary of the paper and an author’s abstract.

This interactive tool is easy to use and designed to help producers seeking more information on a variety of environmental management topics. The National Pork Board plans to update the database as new research results become available. Additional information about the pork industry and current research can be accessed at www.pork.org.

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