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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

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Fire destroys grain elevator in Manitoba

Thursday, May 8, 2025

A fire destroyed a grain elevator in Waskada, Man. About 50 firefighters from Deloraine, Melite and Waskada Fire Departments received calls about the fire around 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. About three hours later, the grain elevator reduced rubble and debris with the firefighters... Read this article online

Mother’s Day Q&A with Anna McCutcheon

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Mother’s Day is only a few days away (that’s another reminder), and this week Farms.com has connected with moms in ag for their thoughts on motherhood, its challenges, and how being a parent has changed them. Anna McCutcheon (AM) and her husband Mark are the first generation on their... Read this article online

Mother’s Day Q&A with Ashley Perepelkin

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

With Mother’s Day approaching (don’t forget!), Farms.com has been connecting with moms in ag for their participation in a Q&A about all things motherhood. Ashley Perepelkin (AP) looks after the livestock side of Perepelkin Farms in Condor, Alta., which also includes about 1,000 acres of... Read this article online

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