Pig farmers are concerned. They care about the pigs living in their barns. They care about the environment and their communities.
A study conducted a few decades back showed that U.S. pork farmers have reduced their environmental impact by using 75.9% more land, 25.1% more water, 7% less energy and 7.7% lower carbon emissions per pound.
Despite this, agriculture is often given a bad rap for greenhouse gas emissions. In reality, agriculture accounts for 9% of U.S. greenhouse gases emissions and pork production accounts less than 0.3%.
Despite the fact that livestock production has increased significantly over the years, producers have been capable of reducing GHG emissions through improved feed efficiency, better manure management, and efficient use the land to grow crops to feed livestock.
These are certainly feathers in the industry’s cap, but how much do these matters to you? How does your farm compare to the industry standards?
Take a walk
U.S. pork farmers have been following the industry-developed We Care principles, which are about doing what is right for food safety and animal well-being.
Although you may talk the big talk, are you really walking the walk on your farm? How closely do these We Care principles apply to your farm? You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
The national Pork Checkoff encourages pork farmers across the country, to request a customized on farm sustainability assessment Reportto measure and document continuous improvement as a result of the We Care principles.
The Pork Checkoff has partnered with an independent third party to collect data from farmers. These data will provide individual pork producers with a report card that shows the impact of their farm on their fields and barns.
Participation is encouraged, even though voluntary. Individual producer information will be kept confidential. These data will be helpful to producers for not only knowing how they are doing but also for communicating with their lender and with community groups.
They may also feel the need to use the report findings to inform neighbors or county commissioners as they try to locate a farm.
These data will be combined at a national scale and allow organizations like the National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, and others to advocate for the whole pork industry to consumers and buyers, both domestically as well as globally.
Ask for an interview to show how much you care. Sustainability Report on-farm.
In earlier Hog Outlook columnI wrote about a Maryland resident who received a pigs’ heart to replace his damaged one.
It was too soon to know if the pig heart would keep David Bennett Sr. alive. Bennett died in March, two months after he received the genetically modified heart from the pigs.
According to a post on University of Maryland Medical Center’s website, the transplanted hearts performed well for several consecutive weeks without any signs of rejection.
Bennett’s last chance to save his life was when he used the pig heart. Bennett was informed by the doctors that they knew this. Dr. Bartley P. Griffith who performed the surgery says that this surgery provided valuable insights that will hopefully help transplant surgeons improve their outcomes and provide life-saving benefits for future patients.
A setback in research does not necessarily mean that all future research should be stopped. Griffith believes that Bennett’s bravery could pay big dividends for anyone who needs new hearts in the near future.
Schulz, a Farm Progress senior reporter, grew on the family hog farmer in southern Minnesota.