No smell n a still, humid summer day, people living miles away from a farm can tell if livestock are part of the operation. Livestock odor, particularly swine odor, is receiving more attention as urban areas encroach on agricultural areas and as city folks move to the country. The odor may be the smell of business to farmers, but it is the smell of pollution to neighbors. To researchers, however, smell is a combination of complex components that they are only just beginning to understand. Much of the research is in the initial stages and practical, economical solutions are not likely to be seen on farms soon.
Some research builds on earlier research to control dust as a health hazard.
Some studies are creative and groundbreaking. No one strategy is expected to provide the one answer to swine odor, the researchers say. Solutions are more likely to come from a combination of strategies to measure, eval-uate and manage waste and odor. Researchers use specially constructed chambers to collect detailed information and samples from individual animals. Samples are analyzed to determine the type and quantity of the chemical components creating the odor.