Premium Standard Farms (PSF) has announced it is well ahead of schedule on the installation of Next Generation Technology on its northern Missouri farms, with the goal of completing the task and meeting the state of Missouri’s deadline of July 31, 2012.

As of Dec. 31, 2010, PSF says it has installed Next Generation Technology in 80 hog barns, which is 32 more than what was called for by the end of the 2010 timeline.

“I’m proud to say that as of the end of 2010, the Next Generation Technology installation is ahead of schedule,” says Bill Homann, president of Premium Standard Farms.

Homann says PSF is looking forward to the day when the installation of Next Generation Technology will help improve the quality of life of friends, families and everyone who resides in northern Missouri.

To date, PSF has spent about $40 million implementing improved environmental technologies, including lagoon covers, treatment facilities and land application technologies, equipment and practices that are among the most advanced in the United States.

Last September’s agreement with the state of Missouri called for a two-year timeline to fulfill the 2004 court-sanctioned consent judgment that originally required PSF to install Next Generation Technology at several of its farms by July 31, 2010.

PSF petitioned the court for a two-year extension of the deadline to allow more time to install the state-of-the-art technology.

The agreement with the state’s attorney general called for installation of barn scrapers in 48 barns by the end of last year, then in at least 136 barns by July 31, 2011 and in 230 barns by Dec. 31, 2011. The company is set to finish installing barn scraper systems by July 31, 2012 in all 366 Class 1A barns.