ISSUE 26: Does the majority of potential odor from a hog farm originate during irrigation ?
RESPONSE: The presence or absence of odor during irrigation from a hog lagoon depends on whether the lagoon has been built and is being managed according to standards. If it has been built according to standards and the liquid levels are being maintained according to recommendations, the odor from irrigating the liquid from this lagoon is the least likely of three potential sources on the farm; production facilities, lagoon, or irrigation. At least one scientific study in N.C. supports this statement. Irrigation odors can be detectable, however, during the early spring transition from colder to warmer temperatures. Irrigation odors can also be detectable when pumping from an undersized lagoon, an older lagoon full of biosolids such that the incoming manure is not being properly processed, or on windy days with a high potential for transport of aerosolized drift.
