Pork production company Smithfield Foods, owned by WH Group, received the 2016 Friend of Conservation Award presented last month by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). The NACD is a national nonprofit organization that represents and serves 3,000 local conservation districts across the country. This honor recognizes Smithfield’s environmental achievements in natural resource reduction, protection and education.
At the award presentation, NACD noted Smithfield's longtime sponsorship of the National Conservation Foundation-Envirothon, an educational and environmental conservation competition for high school students. Smithfield funds scholarships awarded to winning state and national NCF-Envirothon teams. Additionally, its employees serve as competition volunteers and team coaches in local communities.
Smithfield’s new Ohio pig feed facilities to buy local grain
As another part of Smithfield’s environmental focus along with economic growth, the company plans to add facilities in Harpster and Morral, Ohio that will expand the pig producer’s grain purchasing and handling operations, according to a company announcement in late September. Smithfield will use the facilities in Ohio to provide feed for their hogs and for the export market.
Grain purchased at the Harpster buying station will feed hogs throughout Smithfield's eastern hog production division. From the Morral buying station, soybeans will be loaded on location and transported to customers around the world.
Benefits of new Smithfield feed facilities
Smithfield stated that the purchase will connect grain and soybean farmers with previously unavailable global markets. The purchase also advances the pig producer’s commitment to supply chain sustainability, while benefiting from a vertically-integrated logistical structure.
The Harpster and Morral grain buying stations will be part of the company's existing fertilizer optimization program, a collaborative project between Smithfield and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The program, called SmithfieldGro, provides agronomy resources and tools to help farmers optimize their fertilizer application and improve soil health. The program's expansion supports Smithfield in reaching its target of sourcing 75 percent of feed grain from sustainable origins by 2018.
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