Hogs on Mark Legan's farm produce heaps of waste, filling large chambers beneath his barns. But his neighbors are unlikely to know they share the countryside with so much manure. 

Legan's property smells only faintly of animal waste. Birds and other wildlife abound in the fields near an open-air manure pit. And each summer, his crops display a carpet of bright green leaves that stretches for acres. 

While most hog farms stink, and some contaminate waterways with waste-laden runoff, Legan's operation is one of Indiana's model farms, earning praise for consistently exceeding environmental requirements. 

Legan's business, Legan Livestock and Grain, experts say, exemplifies how modern pork producers can balance responsible farming and smart business. 

The farm is a showcase of conservation. Manure is channeled into clay-lined lagoons filled with bacteria that help digest it. The waste is later sprayed onto crops as fertilizer at carefully determined rates. 

Manure is not all that gets recycled on Legan's farm. Even dead hogs are put to use, their remains shredded into nutrient-rich compost. 

Behind the barns, corn and soybeans are planted in no-till fields to conserve soil. The Legans also have planted a grove of 2,000 trees in a corner of the farm and constructed a pond and an artificial wetland where they host student field trips and conservation meetings. 

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