pigfarmer, can I ask you a silly/cityslicker's question?

My husband and I were discussing free range pig farms- he said that most intensive pigfarmers wouldn't want to convert to free range mainly because the removal of pig poo (I called it manure)is too hard labour and the damage they do to the ground puts farmers off.

I know there is the problem about pig manure- that it can't be used like other forms of manure.

Do you find this a big problem in your free range farm- and what do you do with the 'pig poo'? Is it good for anything?

I've read somewhere that it could be used in the production of biodiesel- is that a prospect?

How do you cope with clearing and getting rid of the poo and the damage to the ground?

However ignorant my questions may seem *blush*, I am genuinely interested in the answers :)

I would have asked this in the animal welfare thread but I take it you won't visit this thread anymore.
Hope yabby doesn't mind if this is off-topic.

I for one would like to say how deeply sorry that Wendy is no longer posting on OLO.

She bought some wonderful and vigorous debate to all the animal issues discussed on here..without pple like Wendy in the world and her obvious love and passion for animals the world becomes a much poorer place and animals are the biggest losers..

I feel she was not appreciated by some and her value not seen..dismissed as a 'keyboard activist'...

The attempts by some to discredit her did not mean she gave up her drive and only strengthens her resolve..for pple who truly love animals never lose sight or focus of the real and important issue..

The only 'crime ' she committed was she loved animals too much and she became emotinally torn because of it.

I truly miss Wendy and I have the utmost disgust for those who made it their 'thing' to contemptously trample on her good intentions and discredit every thing she ever said or tried to do.
[Deleted for flaming. Poster suspended.]

Girls, I’m so flattered that you miss me.

Ozkiddy – get over it. Maybe its my ‘redneck’ ways but I don’t feel that comment was derogatory at all. What of yours? Missing wendy? I don’t believe that but if you go back a few posts she left you her phone number as said ring reverse charges.

Keyboard activist! Wish I had thought of that one!

Cilivia – Sorry, do you know how many phone calls I get asking what I do with the poo? Enough to give me attitude. But if you are really interested I will tell you. We compost every bit and use it as fertilizer on our crops. Cant get enough for our own needs let alone the demand from other farmers. Damage to the ground? Not here. We use cell grazing not just to look after our land but also to break worm cycles etc. Sustainable farming may be a term you have heard of? I would go on, but I don’t think you are that interested.

Quiz: Do you know why websites use forms for contact?

Answer: To trace IP addresses

Pigfarmer there is a post for you on "take it outside thread'

sorry kiddy - this is the only thread I have time for at the moment. If you want me to see it you will have to post here. Just not interested otherwise.

"You cannot discredit the majority of posters on there as 'hypocrites'."

Umm Ozgirl, I asked it as a valid question. Fact is if
you happily drink milk, despite Daisy's calf being ripped
off her at 2 days old, arn't you a bit of a hypocrite for
criticising the live trade?

PFs amusing comment was simply colourful language, but
extremely funny, as I could just visualise it:) Do you
girls have no sense of humour? Stop taking everything
so seriously! Perhaps us country kids are just more down
to earth about bodily parts, be they human or other
species. Hey, its all very natural you know.

Celivia, PF is correct, pig poo is great for all sorts
of things. A friend of mine used to generate his own
methane from it, which gave him electricity for his farm.

I actually still like the concept of straw/shelters for
raising pigs, as something between factory pigs and
free range pigs. By what I've seen, the pigs look pretty
happy in there, tearing around in the straw. The straw,
poo mix is later put back on the fields to grow grain
for pig food. The people I know who run a place like
that, say that its done away with most of the diseases,
antibiotics etc, that were part of factory farming.
So its a win-win all around really.

I think that more and more piggeries will move that way.
Just the difference in death rates between the two systems
is apparently quite dramatic.