Eldon K. Uhlenhopp
College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University

The need to produce increasing pounds of pork from reduced land mass has resulted in modern swine production becoming ever more and more concentrated. This has resulted in remarkable improvements in production output, but has created opportunities for rapid spread of infectious agents introduced into the population, increased demands for genetic advancement, better understanding of nutrient requirements, and improved housing facilities.
These increased stocking rates have also increased concentration of livestock wastes and demands for management systems that contribute to a positive environmental impact.
This presentation will review significant livestock production and environment reports of the past decade, provide data regarding carbon footprint and environmental impact of modern swine production enterprises, and present information regarding current technologies to utilize bioresources produced by swine production units to improve soil fertility, economic competitiveness, and quality of human life.