Aim of new OSU swine facility to control odors

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- The new, state-of-the-art swine facility scheduled to open this fall at Oklahoma State University may be one of the best in the world, officials said.<br><br>The $4.25 million

Monday, March 29th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- The new, state-of-the-art swine facility scheduled to open this fall at Oklahoma State University may be one of the best in the world, officials said.

The $4.25 million Swine Research and Teaching Unit will feature technology aimed at reducing the odor problems plaguing the current swine facility. It will be home to 125 sows, said John Houck, assistant vice president for physical plant services at OSU.

"It will be a tremendous asset to the university, industry and the city of Stillwater," said Don Wagner, head of OSU Animal Science.

"We think it will be one of the most unique and best (swine) facilities in the world."

Houck said the facility will represent a move "from 19th century technology to 21st century technology" for OSU.

The pigs will be moved in phases, he said.

"Don't expect a cattle drive from the old facility to the new facility. I think they want to bring animals over gradually," Houck said.

The current facility is one of the first sites visitors see and often smell when entering Stillwater on Oklahoma 51, and has become a sore spot with residents.

Oklahoma State wasn't able to build a new facility earlier because of financial constraints, Wagner said.

The project, which began in February 2001, is being funded through various university funds and a loan.

The buildings, to number 29 eventually, will house sows according to age.

Kim Brock, herd manager for OSU Animal Science, said the new facility will encompass a series of bio-filter systems that will help alleviate the odor problem.

The hope is the filtering system will eliminate about 90 percent of the sow smell and the odor should be restricted to the facility, Brock said.

"With this technology we think we will have excellent odor control," Brock said.

The new center also will have a disposal system, in which waste goes through a series of cleaning processes before being digested into what's described as a motorized septic tank.