Answering Your Questions About Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) on Hog Farms

Change can be scary. At the vary least, it can raise a lot of questions. With the opportunity to implement renewable natural gas projects on some of North Carolina’s hog farms, there have been many questions raised—questions of safety, impact, and simple curiosity.

While most are excited about the opportunity for NC to become a leader in RNG, there are those that have reservations. And so, we wanted to provide answers to some frequently asked questions. Whether you are a skeptic, a sucker for new technology, a community member, a farmer, or a consumer, we hope this answers some of your queries.

FAQ’s

• Do ammonia emissions increase with RNG?

  No. Ammonia levels are dependent on the number of pigs. The size of farms, nor the amount of nitrogen on the farm is changing.

• Does this eliminate the lagoon/sprayfield system?

  No it doesn't. Farmers will still be fertilizing crops with wastewater. However, GHG and other farm emissions will be reduced and treatment and storage capacity will be enhanced. The lagoon/sprayfield system is still highly regulated, designed by university professors, and is non-discharge. Learn more about lagoons and spray fields here.

• Will this decrease odor?

  Covering lagoons will decrease odor as the emissions from the breakdown of manure will be removed from the farm.

• How does this benefit farmers?

  Farmers have long been the adopters of innovation. RNG is the next innovative frontier. RNG allows farmers to add another source of income that mitigates manure management costs, while being better stewards of the environment.

• Does poop go into the pipes?

  No. Biogas is the only thing that will leave the farms.

• Is there a danger of pipes blowing-up?

  The biogas that will be transported through the gathering lines is 30-40% CO2, which is what is in a fire extinguisher. In addition, the pressure in the gathering lines will be very low, less than what is in a car tire. In these conditions, the gas is not explosive.

• Are new lagoons being built?

  No. The only thing being added is digesters.

• I heard that a permit had to be obtained to implement RNG technology on farms. Does that mean new farms are able to be built?

  No new hog farms have been allowed to be built in NC since 1997. RNG does not change this. A modification to current Swine Permits are required to build RNG on existing farms.

• Do RNG permits disproportionately impact minority communities?

  No. DEQ found that the Swine Permit "did not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin on its face, in its implementation, by its impact, or in any other way." In addition, digesters and RNG are good for the environment as described, so any impacts would be positive.

• Why hasn't the location of these RNG project farms been released?

  Simply, they have. You can see a map of these farms here. In addition, farmer’s participation is voluntary. As farmers chose to participate, they will apply for permits, and their choice to participate will be known.

• Why are some opposed to RNG?

  We think there are different reasons for opposing this innovative technology. 1) people may have misconceptions about RNG. We're trying to provide answers and information to put those misconceptions to rest. 2) Sometimes people just want to be critical and would love it if pig farmers didn't exist.

• Do communities support RNG projects?

  Yes! A recent survey showed that residents strongly support RNG programs

Additional Resources:

• The Truth of the Matter: Activist Claims Against RNG Projects are Full of Contradictions

• What is RNG?

• NC poised to be a leader in bioenergy 

Never Enough--Activist Never Satisfied with Hog Farmer Efforts

For decades, North Carolina’s family farmers have consistently striven to make our farms better. We work hard to raise animals more safely, more efficiently, and more sustainably. To operate in a way that better protects our air, water, and land. To farm today for tomorrow with your family and our families in mind. To take advantage of new technologies that allow us to make improvements in everything we do. The list goes on and on.

 And yet, no matter what we do, it’s never enough.

 Those who are steadfastly opposed to animal agriculture are never satisfied with the proactive or positive steps our farmers take to improve our operations. Here are just a few examples:

 MORATORIUM ON CONSTRUCTION OF NEW PIG FARMS

When North Carolina imposed a moratorium on the construction of new pig farms in 1997, it wasn’t enough. Neither were the strict regulations that include annual, in-person inspections of every pig farm in the state.

 The activists aren’t satisfied with simply stopping our growth — they want existing farms to go away.  Fortunately, North Carolina’s pork business continues to thrive even though no new pig farms have been built here for the past 23 years. While the number of farms and number of animals we raise here hasn’t changed much in the past two decades, North Carolina remains one of the nation’s leading pork producers.

 CLOSING LAGOONS IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS   

Following widespread flooding caused by Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the pork industry took steps to ensure our farms were better protected during future storms. This included efforts to voluntarily close farms located in the 100-year floodplain.

 Since 2000, 42 pig farms (and more than 100 lagoons) located in floodplains have been closed. An additional 231 out-of-service lagoons have been permanently closed. But it’s still not enough, the activists say.

 EMBRACING SUSTAINABILITY

Today, American pig farmers are producing twice as much as pork as they did 50 years ago, while using fewer resources than ever before. As part of our commitment to sustainability, farmers now use 76% less land, 25% less water, and 7% less energy [source].

In addition, North Carolina is at the forefront of the movement to generate clean, renewable energy on our pig farms. By capturing methane gas and converting it to biogas, pig farmers play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Surprise, surprise — those steps don’t satisfy the activists either. Several “environmental” groups are actively opposing our efforts to generate renewable energy. It makes you wonder if they are more interested in protecting our environment or putting our farms out of business.

 Well, what exactly do they want?

 Let’s start with Sen. Cory Booker, the Democratic Senator from New Jersey. An outspoken critic of our farms (and a proud vegan), Booker has proposed a federal ban on farms with more than 2,500 pigs. This would potentially shut down 2,300 pig farms in North Carolina, most of which are family owned and operated.

Closer to home, the leader of the NC Environmental Justice Network wants to take things even further. In a recent news article, Naemma Muhammad said she believes pig farmers “need to be in jail.” Nevermind the pesky little fact these farmers are legally operating with a state permit — and following the toughest environmental regulations in the nation.

Other groups have a different agenda altogether: no more meat, period. They want to see an end to all animal agriculture and the elimination of all meat products. Imagine a world with no bacon or barbecue, no hamburgers or chicken tenders — that’s their version of paradise!

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what these groups think about the improvements we are making. As responsible farmers who care about our environment and our communities, we remain determined to keep moving forward every day.

In the words of Elanor Roosevelt, “do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." We’ll continue to do what we know to be right and continue to work hard to feed a hungry nation.