During a public meeting held March 16 at the Ketchum Center on the NCMC campus at Trenton, Premium Standard Farms (PSF) summarized its effort to develop Next Generation Technology (NGT) practices to comply with environmental standards in Missouri. The company, a major employer in North Missouri, has invested more than $40 million during the past decade and has yet to gain the approval of a 3-man expert team responsible for determining new benchmarks for controlling odor and other environmental concerns involved in large hog production operations. The following summarizes PSF efforts to comply with a legal consent decree to date.
Premium Standard Farms Next Generation Technology Development Timeline
(Odor Control-Related Initiatives are Highlighted in Yellow)
(Note — Although not highlighted, AND has been shown to reduce land application-related odors)
• 1998 — PSF installs first lagoon cover and begins installation and testing of air dams for barn odor control at Floman and Whitetail farms.
• 8/1999 — First Consent Judgment entered.
• 11/1999 — PSF submits first Work Plan. Proposes system-wide approach to odor control and nutrient management, including research and development (R&D) into air dams, water reuse, permeable lagoons covers, aeration and nitrogen reduction, and improved land application methods.
• 1999-2000 — PSF installs and tests two different ozone technologies at Whitetail and Terre Haute farms to reduce odor in barns.
• 2000 — PSF begins work on phytase addition for phosphorus reduction, Crystal Peak Farms (CPF) process, Internal Reeirculation Process (IRP), Changing World Technology thermal conversion/recovery process.
• 2000 — PSF installs air dams for barn odor control at approximately 200 barns on multiple farms.
• 2000 — PSF begins design and construction of Advanced Nitrification/De-nitrification (AND) system at Whitetail farm. Note – This AND system was intended to reduce barn odor by using aerobic water for barn flushing. However, EPA/CLEAN federal over-filing and imposition of nitrogen reduction performance standard required that system be re-designed to remove barn odor control element.
• 2000 — PSF begins work on enhanced land application technologies and practices.
• 2000 — PSF undertakes pilot testing and feasibility study on Thermal Depolymerization and Chemical Reforming Process.
• 11/2000 — PSF submits second Work Plan, Lists eight odor and nutrient control projects proposed by PSF and approved by the Advisory Team.
• 2000-2001 — PSF designs and installs covers on 90 primary lagoons for odor control. Remaining covers are added to farms as AND systems are placed in service.
• 2000-2002 — PSF constructs and begins testing on AND system at Whitetail farm.
• 2000-2003 — PSF implements enhanced and low-trajectory land application techniques at all farms.
• 2000-2006 — PSF begins designing water reuse system at Homan farm. Pilot test completed in 2004, Attempt to implement a farm-wide system at Whitetail farm was abandoned in 2006 after system was determined to be economically infeasible.
•2001 — PSF begins evaluating a variety of source reduction measures including, but not limited to diet alterations, pH adjustment to floor slats, and dust suppression) to reduce barn odor.
• 2001 — PSF continues testing and evaluation of Crystal Peak Farms (CPF) process, IRP, and Freeze/Thaw system for odor control.
• 2001 — PSF continues testing of essential oils system and prepares to begin testing a vegetable oil misting system to reduce the generation of dust and odor in the barns.
• 11/2001 — PSF submits third Work Plan. Describes work underway, including nutrition and agronomic projects, production building (barn) projects, manure treatment system projects, value-added projects, and air monitoring projects.
• 2002 — PSF designs, installs and begins testing essential oils system for barn odor control at Homan and Whitetail farms.
• 2002 — PSF continues work on CPF process.
• 2002 — PSF begins using phytase as a diet additive at all of its farms.
• 2002 — PSF begins implementing recommendations of an agronomic optimization study designed to increase nutrient uptake and conserve soil on land application fields.
• 2002 — Following evaluation, PSF concludes (with concurrence of Advisory Team) that the Changing World Technology thermal conversion/recovery process is not technically or economically feasible.
• 2002 – Following evaluation, PSF concludes (with concurrence of Advisory Team) that the original essential oils process is not an effective or workable barn odor control technology.
• 11/2002 — Advisory Team expresses appreciation for PSF’s efforts and progress to date.
• 11/2002 — PSF submits fourth Work Plan. Describes work underway on manure treatment systems, value-added projects, nutrition and agronomic projects, production building (barn) projects, and air monitoring projects.
• 2003 — PSF begins evaluating a vegetable oil misting system and three new types of essential oil-based misting systems for barn odor control.
• 11/2003 — PSF submits fifth Work Plan. Describes work undenvay on manure treatment systems, value-added projects, production building (bam) projects, and air monitoring projects.
• 2003-2004 — PSF continues evaluations of CPF, IRP, Freeze/Thaw, water reuse at Whitetail farm, air dams, and new essential oils-based systems
• 2/14/2004 — Second Consent Judgment entered. Acknowledges that research and development of NGT has proceeded expeditiously and has yielded substantial results.
• 5/2004 — Advisory Team establishes “Salient Benchmarks” for evaluating candidate NGT technologies.
• 2004 — PSF begins assessing biofilters as a possible barn odor control technology.
• 2004 — PSF begins construction on CPF process at Valley View farm.
• 2004 — PSF completes AND system air monitoring project at Whitetail farm.
• 2004 — PSF begins assessing bio-curtains as a possible barn odor control technology.
• 8/2004 — Dr. Al Heber completes barn air emissions monitoring study at Locust Ridge farm.
• 11/2004 — PSF submits sixth Work Plan. Describes work underway on manure treatment systems, value-added projects, production building (barn) projects, and air monitoring projects.
• 2004-2005 — PSF completes construction and begins operating the CPF process, IRP, and Freeze/Thaw system at Valley View farm.
• 2004-2006 — PSF designs, constructs, and begins operating AND system on Terre Haute farm.
• 2005 — PSF and Advisory Team agree to table further consideration of essential oils and biocurtain barn odor control technologies based on testing data.
• 2005 — PSF proposes to conduct an Odor Monitoring and Community Survey to help resolve questions and issues related to NGT odor control candidates.
• 11/2005 — PSF submits seventh Work Plan. Describes progress on projects identified in earlier work plans.
• 2005 2006 — PSF designs, installs, and begins operating and testing open-bed biofilter pilot project on one barn at Whitetail farm
• 2005-2007 — PSF designs, constructs, and begins operating AND system on Badger/Wolf/Brantley farm.
• 2005-2009 — PSF makes successive changes to the CPF, IRP, and Freeze/Thaw system and operating procedures in an effort to resolve performance problems.
• 2006 — PSF begins Odor Monitoring and Community Survey Project
• 11/2006 — PSF submits eighth Work Plan. Describes progress on projects identified in earlier work plans
• 2006-2008 — PSF designs, constructs and begins operating AND system on Homan and Ruckman farms.
• 2007 — PSF modifies operating plan for the CPF process in response to problems encountered after the process began operating.
• 2007 — PSF receives design from Dr. Nicolai and installs and begins operating and testing 16 open-bed biofilters on an 8-barn site at Locust Ridge farm.
• 11/2007 — PSF submits ninth Work Plan. Describes progress on projects identified in earlier work plans.
• 11/2007 — Advisory Team acknowledges the work and efforts by PSF to complete the open-bed biofilters at Locust Ridge farm.
• 2007-2008 — Following testing, PSF concludes (with concurrence of the Advisory Team) that the Odor Cell Technology is not technically feasible as a barn odor control technology.
• 2008 — PSF continues testing and evaluation of modifications to Locust Ridge open-bed biofilters in response to stormwater pollution problems and numerous operation and maintenance problems.
• 2008 — PSF works with Dr. Nicolai to develop vertical biofilter design. Design issues prevent construction of pilot project.
• 9/2008 and 10/2008 — PSF submits AND system construction permit applications for Locust Ridge, Somerset, and Hedgewood farms.
• 10/2008 — PSF proposes to install and test alternative barn odor control technologies, including new vertical biofilter design, vegetative environmental buffers (VEBs), barn scraper system, and hioremediation system as demonstration projects.
• 11/2008 — Advisory Team approves alternative barn odor control demonstration projects.
• 11/2008 — PSF submits 10th Work Plan. Describes development work on Sustainable. Technology System, progress on installation of AND systems, CPF process operations, and ongoing biofilter research and development efforts, and work on alternative barn odor control technologies.
• 2008-2009 — PSF designs, constructs, and begins operating AND system on Green Hills and South Meadows farms.
• 3/2009-9/2009 — PSF installs and tests VEB demonstration project at Hedgewood farm.
• 3/2009-12/2009 — PSF installs and tests barn scraper system demonstration project at Valley View farm.
• 5/2009-6/2009 — PSF revises applications for Somerset and Hedgewood farms to substitute Sustainable Technology System (STS) (scraper/digester system) for AND system.
• 8/2009 — Dr. Nieolai and PSF install roof over one biofilter at Locust Ridge farm to dry out system.
• 8/2009 — PSF tables further consideration of bioremediation system following unsuccessful laboratory testing.
• 8/2009-11/2009 — PSF constructs vertical hiotilter incorporating Dr. Nieolai’s new design at Locust Ridge farm.
• 11/2009 — PSF reports to Advisory Team on results of VEB, barn scraper, and bioremediation projects as well as design of Sustainable Technology System (STS). Team rejects VEBs, but responds Favorably to STS and barn scraper system and encourages PSF to complete testing and submit final report on these technologies for consideration by the Team.
• 1/2010 — DNR issues construction permit for installation of STS at Hedgewood farm.
Note: Throughout the period covered by this timeline, PSF has been continuously engaged in extensive air and water quality monitoring and data analysis in furtherance of its Next Generation Technology research and development efforts. To date, the cost of PSF’s research and development efforts, technology installations, and monitoring and data analysis totals approximately $40 million. In addition, PSF spends millions of dollars each year operating and maintaining the installed Next Generation Technologies.
