The unsavory smell of a nearby hog lot is not new to most Midwesterners, and techniques to control these odors are being researched by two ISU professors.

A survey of Iowa pork producers about techniques used to control odor has been conducted by Jeffery Lorimor, associate professor and agricultural and biosystems engineering, and James Kliebenstein, professor of economics and agriculture.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association funded the survey, which consisted of 562 returned mail surveys taken in August 2002, and 34 telephone surveys conducted in the spring of 2003.

According to the survey, swine producers were most satisfied with using windbreaks, bedded systems, bio-covers and deep pits, composting pigs and manure and injecting manure into the soil.

They were least satisfied with using bio-filters, ozone, manure storage plastic covers and manure additives.

Iowa pork producers were also asked about neighbors’ complaints about odor. According to the survey, eight out of 10 producers had not received a complaint.

“Most of the complaints came from manure application on land, and manure application is done one week out of the year,” Kliebenstein said.

Kliebenstein said producers are improving communication with neighbors by informing them about when they are spreading manure, as well as taking weather conditions into consideration when applying manure. He said one farmer paid for his neighbors to stay in a hotel in Des Moines for a weekend while he spread manure.

Iowa State’s Ag 450 farm currently has 1,500 hogs and maintains a strong relationship with its neighbors, said Greg Vogel, farm operator and agriculture specialist.

Neighbors of the farm are informed as well as asked for input when manure is spread, Vogel said. Staff at the farm also try to reduce the smell by applying manure when the forecast is favorable.

“We haven’t had any complaints,” he said.

The farm uses deep pits to dispose of manure, he said. Staff at the farm also feed and ration accordingly to cut down on odor and inject manure into the ground, he said.