Strength in Numbers: How Can Producers Better Understand Farm Efficiency and Sustainability?

Using tools, such as a Life Cycle Assessment and the Wean-to-Finish Pork Sustainability Calculator, provide producers data to make better informed decisions on the farm.
Using tools, such as a Life Cycle Assessment and the Wean-to-Finish Pork Sustainability Calculator, provide producers data to make better informed decisions on the farm.
(Canva.com, Farm Journal)

“The overall footprint estimated for a 4-oz. serving of pork is 2.48 lb. of carbon dioxide, 9.75 sq. ft. of land per year, 8.2 gal. of water,” says Erika Johnson, graduate research assistant at Iowa State University.

While the word ‘sustainability’ gains momentum in the ag industry, individuals within the pork industry focus on quantitative research and data to improve production.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Understanding an operation’s footprint from start to finish and determining how the environment and production practices interact are key tools provided by a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

Johnson is also the lead author of an Iowa Pork Industry Center fact sheet, titled “Sustainability in the Swine Industry: Understanding the Life Cycle Assessment of the Pork Supply Chain” and studies three LCAs focusing on carbon emissions, land occupation and water usage.

“An LCA is a holistic approach to analyzing the cumulative environmental impacts of different phases of swine production and doing so in a manner that’s easily understood by producers and consumers,” Johnson says in a recent release.

Johnson collaborates with Iowa State University's Lance Baumgard, animal science professor, and Jason Ross, animal science professor and Iowa Pork Industry Center director on the sustainability project utilizing the U.S. swine industry LCAs.

Wean-to-Finish Pork Sustainability Calculator

Additionally, Johnson brings a fillable spreadsheet tool to producers to evaluate and estimate impacts of different levels of efficiency on environmental emission, the release explains.

“The Wean-to-Finish Pork Sustainability Calculator allows producers to understand how specific improvements in finishing can influence the environmental footprint of that barn,” Johnson explains.

By changing production parameters, including mortality and feed efficiency, producers can see the effects through changes in percentages and weight of carbon dioxide emissions to enable continuous improvement and gauge potential change implications, the release states.

The fact sheet and excel-based calculator are available for download at no cost to producers.

 

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