Earth Day Celebrated April 22; 
U.S. Pork Producers Help Protect the Environment

 “Earth Day is an annual event, which will be celebrated around the globe this year on April 22,” said Everett Forkner, National Pork Board president and producer from Richards, Mo. “But for pork producers, every day is Earth Day,” he said.

America’s pork producers understand that providing a safe, wholesome food supply for consumers is a great responsibility – and one that must take into account many factors, including the impact on the environment.

“No one understands the importance of pork quality, safety, responsible production and continuous improvement better than America’s pork producers. Good environmental stewardship is not only our legacy, but our future. Our children and grandchildren breathe this air and drink this water.”

Forkner points to the pork industry’s We Care initiative that spells out the principles that America’s pork producers are committed to demonstrating:

• Produce safe food
• Protect and promote animal well-being
• Ensure practices to protect public health
• Safeguard natural resources
• Provide a safe work environment
• Contribute to a better quality of life in their communities

“We not only have an obligation to a set of ethical principles in how we produce food, but we demonstrate those principles on our farms in how we care for our animals, the environment and our communities,” added Forkner.

Today, under the umbrella of environmental sustainability, U.S. pork producers have taken public trust to the next level with their Pork Checkoff investment in research involving the four pillars of environmental sustainability:

• Carbon footprint
• Water footprint
• Air footprint
• Land footprint

The insights and innovations found from this research will help America’s pork producers maintain their role as leaders in protecting the natural resources they manage on their farms. This is one of the ethical principles of the U.S. pork industry’s We Care initiative. America’s pork producers are determined to address this important area and capitalize on opportunities that make good environmental sense and are economically sustainable.

Carbon Footprint: In June 2008, the National Pork Board directed staff to assess and better understand the pork industry’s carbon footprint and associated challenges and opportunities for the U.S. swine industry. Although an analysis of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s annual greenhouse gas reports shows that the relative contribution from swine production to the overall national greenhouse gas inventory is extremely small (approximately 0.35 percent), the U.S. pork industry moved forward to better understand their carbon footprint and opportunities to make further improvements.

The National Pork Board funded research efforts at the University of Arkansas’ Applied Sustainability Center to identify and quantify the baseline carbon footprint involved with pork production. This Checkoff-funded research has completed:

• A review of available literature and information related to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from pork production.

• A summary or “scan level” life-cycle assessment of energy use and emissions across the entire pork chain, including feed crop production, feed formulation, swine production, transportation, meat processing and retail components.

• A detailed, in-depth life-cycle assessment of the on-farm animal production component covering all aspects of raising animals, including manure-management practices.

• A producer-friendly software tool called the Live Swine Carbon Footprint Calculator. It calculates the greenhouse gas emissions involved in sow and grow-finish production, which can help pork producers identify areas for potential improved efficiency. The calculator also can be used to evaluate prospective changes in operations by modeling what-if scenarios relative to the potential impacts on the farm’s carbon footprint.

The National Pork Board is currently working with the University of Arkansas on an enhanced version of the calculator that will include an economic analysis module to help pork producers understand what impact changes in operations would have on operational costs, as well as their carbon footprint.

Air Footprint: In 2006, the U.S. pork industry committed $6 million to fund the pork portion of a National Air Emissions Monitoring Study, which was conducted by Purdue University under the close supervision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This study was conducted specifically to collect scientifically valid data to: 1) accurately assess emissions from livestock operations and compile a database for estimation of emission rates, and 2) promote a national consensus for emissions-estimation methods/procedures from livestock operations. 

The data from this study is helping to put together a Pork Checkoff-funded research effort to develop a process-based air emissions model specific to swine production systems in the United States. The two-year effort being conducted by a multi-disciplinary team of scientists from several universities will be completed in early 2013 and will result in a tool that will help pork producers understand and quantify air emissions from their swine production system. 

Water Footprint: The National Pork Board has funded research efforts at the University of Arkansas’ Applied Sustainability Center to identify and quantify the baseline water footprint involved with pork production. The Checkoff-funded research will be completed by the end of 2012 and will include:

• A review of available literature and information related to water use associated with pork production.

• A summary or “scan level” life-cycle assessment of water use across the entire pork chain, including feed crop production, feed formulation, swine production, transportation, meat processing and retail components.

• A detailed, in-depth life-cycle assessment of the on-farm water use related to the live swine production component covering all aspects of raising the animals.

• A user-friendly software tool that will calculate the water use involved in sow and grow-finish production, which can help pork producers identify areas for potential improved efficiency. This calculator also will be used to evaluate prospective changes in operations by modeling what-if scenarios relative to the potential impacts on the facility carbon footprint.

Land Footprint: The National Pork Board plans to fund research to identify and quantify the land footprint of U.S. swine production in 2013-2014.

As each of the four pillars of environmental sustainability are completed they will be integrated with the others, as will the calculator models, into a unified environmental sustainability tool. U.S. pork producers can use this tool to further their on-going efforts at protecting the natural environment in all of their farming activities and further their ongoing efforts and commitment to ethical, responsible and sustainable swine production. 

For more information, contact Allan Stokes at AStokes@pork.org or (515) 223-3447.

Pork Checkoff and PIC Announce Recipients of the 2012 Pork Industry Scholarships

The top candidate, Anna Samson, will receive a $5,000 scholarship, and the runners-up, Karl Kerns and Andrew Kryzer, will receive $3,500 scholarships. The other 12 students selected will receive $2,000 each.
 
"A skilled workforce is essential for the competitiveness of this industry," Forkner said. "We need young leaders to look at pork not just as a food choice, but as a career. This is a chance for the industry to encourage these young people to join a workforce that offers many diverse opportunities. 
 
"On behalf of the Pork Checkoff and its partners, the National Pork Board and the pork industry, we congratulate this year's Pork Industry Scholarship recipients," Forkner said. "We look forward to welcoming them into our industry in the future."

For more information, contact Chris Hostetler at CHostetler@pork.org or at (515) 223-2606.

Register Now for the 2012 Pork Management Conference

The 2012 Pork Management Conference will be held June 19-22 in Savannah, Ga. The conference is designed for chief financial officers, controllers, owners, lenders, growers, HR/safety directors, accountants and risk managers involved in the pork industry. Topics covered at the conference will help expand participants’ pork industry knowledge and financial sophistication, while providing a pork industry outlook, latest industry trends and upcoming challenges. 

For the complete agenda and registration information, click here or visit pork.org. You may also contact the Pork Checkoff Producer Service Center at (800) 456-7675.

Costco’s In-store Demonstrations Help Drive Pork Demand

In cooking, inspiration matters. That’s why Costco is taking in-store cooking demonstrations to the next level to help drive pork demand.

“Costco is the gold standard for in-store demos,” says Ryan Mills, retail marketing manager for the National Pork Board, who noted that Costco is the nation’s third largest retailer. “Their people are well-trained and do a great job of sharing cooking tips and messages about the role that pork can play in a healthy diet.”

Since demonstrators are assigned to specific stores, shoppers see the same familiar faces often at their local Costco and look to them to provide quick, easy mealtime options.

Earlier this year, the demonstrators served up boneless pork chops, which were also featured in Costco’s mailer, along with a coupon for $3 off chops and pork roasts. “A coupon and an in-store demonstration create a powerful combination that drives pork sales,” says Mills, who notes that Costco demonstrators also highlighted pork’s new 145-degree end-point cooking temperature.

In February, the Pork Checkoff supported another cooking demonstration at Costco to promote fresh sausage for Super Bowl snack shopping. Both the pork chop and sausage promotions exceeded sales expectations, says Mills, who notes that Costco boasts 433 warehouses nationwide.

“Our target market includes ‘pork champions’ who purchase a lot of protein, including pork, and they think highly of the value that Costco offers,” Mills says. “We want to encourage these consumers to enjoy even more pork and feel more comfortable preparing it.”

The Pork Checkoff continues to strengthen its partnership with Costco to provide consumers with plenty of new inspiration. Mills says the success of the Pork Checkoff’s promotions last October paved the way for additional promotions in 2012.

Costco was pleased with the results of the fall campaigns, which featured in-store demonstrations of boneless chops, roasts and pork tenderloins. These cuts were also highlighted in a two-page feature in the Costco Connection, a monthly mailer that reaches 8.6 million people.

“Costco is an excellent steward of the Checkoff investment, and they work with us to leverage these dollars and increase pork sales,” Mills says.

Meijer MealBox Helps Shoppers Pick Pork

Dinner doesn’t have to be expensive to be delicious, and Meijer supermarkets’ online MealBox offers a unique solution to keep pork affordable and top of mind.

“The MealBox gives consumers a convenient place to plan meals for the week, make a shopping list and save money with coupons and sale prices,” says Ryan Mills, retail marketing manager for the National Pork Board. “It has been a great resource to help drive pork sales.”

When consumers log onto the Meijer MealBox, they can create shopping lists that automatically populate with electronic coupons and recipes. Shoppers can then print the information before heading to one of Meijer’s 185 supercenters in the Midwest.

Earlier this year, the Pork Checkoff partnered with Meijer on a pork rib program to boost pork demand around the Super Bowl. Meijer’s MealBox tool featured Pork Checkoff recipes that consumers could download. Meijer’s pork promotion was also supported by advertising features and in-store displays.

“The Super Bowl event equates to  one of the top five weeks of the year in terms of rib sales for retailers,” Mills says. “The MealBox promotion was a hit, and Meijer’s pork sales around the Super Bowl exceeded expectations, which was great news.”

Meijer’s MealBox technology benefits everyone involved, because it promotes pork, helps shoppers save money on their grocery bills and allows Meijer to trim their marketing costs, Mills adds.

“Meijer continues to be a good partner for the Pork Checkoff, and we look forward to working on more pork promotions with this family-owned supermarket chain in the months ahead.”

For more information, contact Ryan Mills at RMills@pork.org or at (765) 379-2449