Caring for Our Environment

Stewardship

Producers Prove Their Stewardship

Here's what misinformed critics of the pork industry say:

"Modern hog farms are industrial operations that produce colossal amounts of waste and lagoon spills cause massive devastation to our environment. Neighbors are unable to enjoy their property because of the odor."

Here's the truth:

While much has been written and said about environmental concerns related to the pork industry, many of these reports lack the facts about important industry issues. Many of these reports have been one-sided, inflammatory and driven by concerns unrelated to the environment. Rural activists and environmental groups are more than willing to use the issue of environmental degradation to pursue other agendas. The effect has been to mischaracterize the pork industry as unregulated, unsustainable and uninterested in the proper use of manure as a fertilizer. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Even so, producers must understand the importance of listening to these concerns, and they must openly share information and demonstrate their commitment to responsible stewardship of the environment.

The fact is, manure is an asset, not a liability. Manure contains life-giving nutrients. And swine manure as a natural, organic and sustainable fertilizer saves billions of cubic feet of natural gas that would otherwise be used to manufacture commercial fertilizers. Swine production - in fact, all livestock production combined - produces nowhere near enough manure to meet the needs of crops and forages grown in the United States. Crop farmers apply significantly more nitrogen from commercial fertilizer than nitrogen from all livestock manure sources combined.

By law, operations cannot discharge any manure. All manure must be contained on farm. When it is applied to land as a fertilizer, it must be applied using methods that do not result in pollution. Compare this to municipal lagoons, which handle the sewage produced by millions of Americans everyday. Unlike livestock lagoons, the effluent from municipal lagoons may be discharged into streams and rivers, even though treatment does not remove all nutrients. And, many municipal lagoons are located in flood plains near rivers and are subject to discharge during times of heavy rain or flooding. Apart from discharges caused by natural disasters, some municipal lagoons receive permission to discharge hundreds of millions of gallons of raw human sewage into streams during times when treatment equipment is being repaired.

The reality is that pork producers are subject to air and water quality regulation and are leading the effort to develop additional, science-based regulations and treatment solutions.

Pork producers have led the agriculture industry in development of environmental education programs to help producers manage manure for protection of the environment and the best use of manure's fertilizer value. The Pork Checkoff supports programs like the Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan Curriculum, which provides classroom training in key areas such as manure nutrient planning, land application, water and air quality, pollution prevention, recordkeeping and community relations.

Producers who have developed and who follow a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) have the knowledge needed to fully understand the environmental technologies and practices that best fit their individual operation and ensure the best possible management is being used to protect the environment. The Pork Checkoff provides expertise that is helping producers secure such things as up-to-date soil tests or to make sure they are in compliance with ever-changing environmental regulations, such as the new federal concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) rule.

An On-Farm Assessment and Environmental Review (OFAER) is another tool used by hog farms. It’s like visiting the doctor for a physical check-up. The goals are to promote environmental stewardship, minimize livestock impact on watersheds and improve the public's perception of livestock production. Like a comprehensive physical exam, OFAER provides a critical overview, by third-party trained experts, of housing and feeding systems, manure management, nutrient management, and mortality management. During an on-farm assessment, a team of two experts work together evaluating environmental risks. The resulting verbal and written reports identify strengths, challenges and recommendations providing the producer with an outside expert opinion.

Experience from the OFAER program shows that hog operations of all sizes have similar environmental challenges and that well-managed operations of any size can be environmentally successful. Producers who have used the program report they have saved operating expenses and have enhanced their perception by their community. Developing technologies also hold great promise for environmental and sustainable energy concerns. Hog manure is being converted to bio-diesel and converted to pellets to fertilize golf courses. On some farms, methane gas from manure may be used to fuel generators producing electricity that can be used to cut energy costs on the farm or be sold back to public utilities.

Farmers are the original recyclers - using natural fertilizer produced on their farms to improve productivity. Farmers have always been innovators - constantly looking for better ways to do things. Production facilities are continuously changing to improve efficiency, animal health, productivity and environmental protection. Pork producers will continue to lead the agriculture industry in taking care of the environment.