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Better Pork Featured Articles

Better Pork magazine is published bimonthly. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Harnessing power from pig poop

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Methane, once just the enemy of the ozone layer, is now being used as a valuable source of green energy.

A recent story on KSL.com profiled Circle Four Farms, a 75,000-sow operation near Milford, Utah. They produce 3.2 megawatts of energy from their pig manure and sell it to the local municipality. It's enough to power 3,000 homes for a year.

To create the biogas necessary for electricity, pig manure is processed by an anaerobic digester and the resulting methane is burned to produce energy that can be used onsite or sold as a commodity.

Pig poop is a reliable energy source because, as any pig farmer knows, it's never in short supply and is available anytime, not just when the sun shines or the wind blows.

The Ottawa-based Biogas Association's website lists 34 member projects within Ontario, the majority of which are "agricultural biogas, which fit(s) seamlessly into many farming operations."

Their 2013 Canadian Biogas Study says agricultural biogas has the potential to generate 550 megawatts of electricity per year, which would satisfy 2.1 per cent of Canada's natural gas demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25.5 million tonnes (the equivalent of taking 5,100,000
cars off the road). BP

Current Issue

October 2025

Better Pork Magazine

Farms.com Swine News

October ag minister roundup

Monday, October 20, 2025

Farms.com is again scouring social media and online activity to see what Canada’s ministers of agriculture are doing to support farmers and the industry overall. Beginning with federal Minister Heath MacDonald, he and some of his provincial counterparts recently returned from four days of... Read this article online

Ontario Hog Market Trends (Week Ending Oct. 10, 2025)

Monday, October 20, 2025

Compiled by Jaydee Smith, OMAFRA Swine Specialist Ontario hog prices continued to soften heading into mid-October. The 100% Base Formula Price averaged $254.09/ckg, down from $262.21 the previous week — marking the lowest level in five weeks. Despite this dip, prices remain well above... Read this article online

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