Sustainability and the Pork Industry: Make Money, Save Money, Save Time
Sara Crawford Pork Sustainability Goals
What makes the pork industry’s sustainability goals different from others? The inclusion of metrics and key performance indicators to prove how those goals will be met.
“Other companies and groups have put out sustainability goals. But when asked how they are going to measure those goals, there's often no response or they might say, ‘Check back with us in the future,’” says Sara Crawford, vice president of sustainability at the National Pork Board.
When U.S. pork producers helped develop the pork industry’s recently announced sustainability goals, she says they wanted to make sure they had key performance indicators in place to back those goals up before they were announced.
It Starts With Data
“The adoption of sustainability practices is fantastic for our people, pigs and planet, and producers have been doing that. But increasingly, we need to make sure that producers also understand their return on investment,” Crawford says. “We are always trying to help producers make money, save money or save time. As we think about our sustainability practices, how do they do those things?”
Supported by a measurement infrastructure already in place to collect real, on-farm data, each goal will be tracked and reported regularly on behalf of the industry. Future reports will share data based on “pigs reported” – meaning progress toward the metric will be gauged on percentage of pigs or farms that’s received and aggregated data through an industry-wide database.
A key component to the industry’s established metrics infrastructure is the Checkoff-funded On-Farm Sustainability Reports, which provide farm-level data to help pork producers establish an individual baseline for social, environmental, and economic sustainability. The reports provide metrics on manure – application and agronomic rates, water quality and use, and community donations and service hours.
Everyone knows data can be used to create opportunities, to make improvements and increase profitability. But you need to have the data in the system so you can participate in those opportunities as they arise, Crawford adds.
“We've had fantastic foundational programs like Pork Quality Assurance Plus for decades, we've done worker and safety health programs for many years, we've had the We Care Ethical Principles for 14 years, and that looks at more than just the environment,” she says. “Those programs gave us the great foundation on which to build these sustainability goals and metrics.”
Build Sustainability Into Your Story
Crawford is quick to remind producers that sustainability is something they can build into their story – it doesn’t necessarily have to be the whole story.
“Think about sustainability,” she encourages. “Yes, we've changed light bulbs, for example, because it saves money. But remember that also reduces your carbon footprint when you change your light bulbs to more efficient light bulbs. Let's start thinking about the fact that yes, we have the business case, but also these are sustainable practices.”
More from Farm Journal's PORK:
It’s Time to Get on the Bus: National Pork Board Unveils Sustainability Goals
U.S. Pork Seeks To Reduce GHGs 40% By 2030, Announces On-Farm Sustainability Report For Producers
