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Sustainable swine production in the U.S. Corn Belt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 1991

Mark S. Honeyman
Mark S. Honeyman*
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education and Studies and Animal Science, and Coordinator of the Outlying Research System and offcampus courses, College of Agriculture, Iowa Home Economics and Agriculture Experiment Station, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011.
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Abstract

Swine production is a major component of Corn Belt agriculture; thus development of a sustainable Corn Belt agriculture depends on sustainable swine production systems. Swine are versatile enough to adapt to sustainable concepts, and swine production raises several opportunities to enhance sustainability. These include: 1) feeding with increased use of forages and by-product feeds; 2) nutrient cycling through improved handling of manure; 3) low-capital housing systems that offer an improved environment for the operator and reduced financial risk; 4) management systems suited to the swine's behavior; and 5) preventive approaches to swine health and a broader genetic base. The challenge beyond identifying the opportunities is research and technology transfer and incorporation of sustainable concepts into ecologically based swine production systems.

Keywords

sustainable agriculturelow-input livestock raisingmanureanimal healthanimal behaviorantibioticsnutrient recycling

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Type
Research Article
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , June 1991 , pp. 63 - 70
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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