success stories
Biting Down on Water Savings
Dennis McKerracher is soaking up the savings after installing a device that cuts his pigs’ water use by more than 35 per cent. Working with Climate Change Central, the Canadian Pork Council and Alberta Pork, the High River hog producer has installed water-efficient drinking devices for his pigs over the past few years.
Unlike standard drinkers that release water when any pressure is applied, McKerracher’s ball-bite drinkers require his pigs to close their mouths around the device to get water, resulting in far less spillage.
“I never imagined changing a drinker would have such a positive impact on my bottom-line,” says McKerracher. “By installing the meters to run the tests, I now notice even the slightest increase in water consumption. This enables me to react faster to any environmental, health or technical issues affecting my pigs’ water needs.”
Over the course of a year-long pilot, McKerracher monitored the use of standard water drinkers to ball-bite nipple drinkers for his 3,000 feeder pigs. Evaluations of capital and labour costs of the ball-bite drinker and measurements of the density and nutrient composition of manure revealed significant economic savings and environmental benefits.
There were electrical savings from not having to pump water and less manure to haul and spread. This reduced energy, time and even odour concerns. Greenhouse gas emissions were also reduced because of the decreased energy output required to treat and pump water.
And to top it all off, McKerracher’s work was recognized with an Alberta Emerald Award in 2006, in the Research and Innovation category.
“Everything subsequent to the assessment has proven time and time again what the numbers say and what the trial said was true. There has been more than a 35 per cent reduction [in water use] without negative to the operations of the farm.”
The George Morris Centre, Canada’s independent agri-food think-tank, has conducted a complete forensic assessment of McKerracher’s books to verify the economic benefits and greenhouse gas mitigation equivalents. Results from this assessment show the project is not only environmentally but also economically sustainable.
The Southern Alberta hog producer now spends a considerable amount of time sharing his success story with others in the pork industry.
McKerracher has received numerous calls from swine producers, suppliers and others from across the country. As a delegate for the Alberta Pork Council and a producer representative for the Canadian Pork Council, McKerracher has attended prominent “pig politics” conferences to share his experience.
Now, McKerracher is working hard to convince other producers to make the switch. McKerracher strongly encourages other swine producers to have a look at his successes and let the numbers speak for themselves.
“If you can reduce water volume without compromising performance, who wouldn’t want to save money and reduce their environmental impact?”