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Pork Checkoff announces 2008 Pork Industry Environmental StewardsFour pork production operations have been selected to represent the industry as 2008 Pork Industry Environmental Steward Awards. The Pork Checkoff and its cosponsor, National Hog Farmer magazine, have awarded this honor to four U.S. pork producing operations that have demonstrated a firm commitment to safeguarding the environment and the communities that surround them. This year's award recipients are: --Enterprise Nurseries of Madrid, Neb. --Oetting Farms of Concordia, Mo., --O'Neel Farms of Friend, Neb., and --Veldkamp Farms of Jasper, Minn., The environmental steward award winners were selected by judges drawn from pork producers and environmental organizations. The judges reviewed the applications of pork producers committed to minimizing the pork industry's footprint on the environment. Their operations were evaluated on their manure management systems; water and soil conservation practices; odor-control strategies; farm aesthetics and neighbor relations; wildlife habitat promotion; innovative ideas used to protect the environment and an essay on the meaning of environmental stewardship. "We receive a great set of pork producer applications and nominations every year. These operations are committed to doing things right for the environment, for their families and for U.S. agriculture," said Randy Brown, chair of the environmental stewards selection subcommittee and member of the National Pork Board. "Pork producers generally chose to do things right. Farming is their livelihood and protecting the natural resources is part of doing business and part of every day life. These producers went one step further because they chose to represent the industry and apply for this award," he added. Randy Brown's family operation received the environmental steward award in 2005. Award recipients will receive the recognition of their peers at the 2009 National Pork Industry Forum in Dallas, Texas. The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health, pork safety and environmental management. For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at 800-456-PORK or check the Internet at www.pork.org. Enterprise Nurseries, Madrid, Neb. NPP, LLC's Enterprise Nurseries each sit in a well-manicured lawn, separated by a hill and a cornfield. Each lawn has its own set of windbreaking trees and the barns share a lagoon. Each environmentally-controlled nursery building sits atop shallow pits that drain on a pull-plug system into the anaerobic lagoon. The lagoon is lined in a way that avoids groundwater contamination and wind and water erosion of the lagoon walls. The nutrients in the lagoon are emptied once per year, during growing season, when they can be utilized most efficiently over almost 260 acres of crops. The rate of application is carefully determined based on sampling of the nutrients, soil and determination of plant intake. Water conservation is a priority for Enterprise team members. Water meters are in place in each building and are monitored with an electronic controller that can be accessed remotely through the Internet. Addressing air quality for the animals, employees and the neighbors also is a priority. While the team at Enterprise Nurseries is relatively young in age, an important issue is that of the development of the next generation of pork producers. The company sponsors internships allowing young individuals who want to experience pork production the opportunity to work in the industry. The Enterprise Nurseries house approximately 16,000 nursery pigs in western Nebraska. Oetting Hog Farms, Concordia, Mo. Oetting Hog Farms today supports a 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th generation of Oettings. The farm produces approximately 2,400 hogs per year and all of the corn to feed them. The swine operation's buildings capture manure in slat-covered pits that are flushed regularly with water recycled from the farm's three-cell effluent treatment lagoon. Effluent from the lagoon is used to fertilize corn fields and other crop land within reach of the farm's irrigation system. All applications follow a Nutrient Management Plan. A fresh water lake they constructed has allowed the Oettings to reduce their water purchase by over 1 million gallons per year. The water in the lake is used as drinking water for the animals, for washing buildings and to satisfy other needs around the farm. Preserving the lake ecosystem has led the Oettings to build filter strips around waterways, streams and other areas at risk for erosion. Riparian buffer strips and field-edge habitat buffers also have been set around the farm. Reducing odor is a priority for Oetting Hog Farms and regular monitoring of the property's perimeter ensures the Oettings that their odor mitigation strategies are working. Steven and Sharon Oetting hope that their environmental conservation philosophy improves the quality of the farm for the next generations of farmers that live off of their land. O'Neel Farms, Friend, Neb. Terry O'Neel and his wife Diane bought the land from his parents over 20 years ago with great ambition. Today, their home, their 550-sow farrow-to-finish operation, a feed mill and 660 acres of no-till corn and soybean fields sit on the same fields O'Neel worked as a young man in southeastern Nebraska. Manure from the home farm buildings is captured in shallow pits under the barns. The pits drain into three lined lagoons on the property. Water from the lagoons is used to irrigate the cropland through center pivots during the crop's growing season when nutrients are used more efficiently. All applications follow the documentation and are recorded on the farm's comprehensive nutrient management plan. The O'Neels have seen improvement in soil tilth, organic matter and water holding capacity of their fields thanks to the natural fertilizer. Maintaining no-till cropland and year-round ground cover, along with constructing buffer strips also has improved the quality of their fields. To address air quality and odors, the O'Neels pay special attention to lagoon loads and size. Natural buffers of trees outside and excellent housekeeping practices inside the barns decrease the amount of dust and odor generated from the farm. Recently, a woodchip biofilter was installed outside a new finisher barn. The biofilter has the potential to reduce odors in up to 80 percent. In keeping with the times, the O'Neels are enrolled in a carbon sequestration and credit program. Veldkamp Farms, Jasper, Minn. Veldkamp Farms, near Jasper, Minn., is a modern and environmentally sound pork production operation housing 1,800 nursery pigs, 3,600 finishing pigs and 2,400 animals in a new wean-to-finish barn. The manure from the pork operation fertilizes a part of the 1,250 acres of corn and soybeans that make it back to the farm's mill and swine rations. Jim and JoAnn Veldkamp are proud to manage this "full circle" of nutrients. Veldkamp Farm structures sit on cement-slatted floors over manure storage pits. Pits have the capacity to hold over one year of effluent. Nutrients in the pits are emptied in the summer and are used to side-dress corn and soybeans. In the fall, manure-derived fertilizer is applied into the fields once more to rates based on soil and pit sample tests. Ridge-tilling has helped the Veldkamps yield better crops and even led them to become three-time corn yield top-finishers for their soil and management category. Minimal soil passes also help reduce energy expenditures and equipment wear. Not only do the Veldkamps keep up the visual appearance with great landscaping and well-kept buildings, but air quality and odor control measures also are in place at the farm. The Veldkamps are not only stewards of the land they farm, the animals they care for and the pork industry they represent, they also are stewards of the community around them. 10/6/08 Date: 9/30/08 Advertisement
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