Cargill working with turkey farmers on energy efficiency

As part of its sustainability efforts, Cargill Protein is working with its turkey growers to improve energy efficiency on their farms.

Roy Graber Headshot
Cargill Protein is working with its turkey farmers to help them improve energy efficiency on the farm. (Cargill Protein)
Cargill Protein is working with its turkey farmers to help them improve energy efficiency on the farm. (Cargill Protein)

As part of its sustainability efforts, Cargill Protein is working with its turkey growers to improve energy efficiency on their farms.

Kristen Tupa, sustainability manager, Cargill Protein, told of the company’s initiative while speaking at the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) on February 12.

“We have an ongoing effort around energy efficiencies among producers who are producing turkey for us, and are in the process of kicking off audits for our farms to be able to help them understand and have that technical assistance around what they can do to improve energy use in the farm,” Tupa explained.

In doing so, Cargill is not only promoting good environmental stewardship, but also helping its growers to be more profitable in their operations, she said.

Cargill Protein Kristin Tupa

Kristen Tupa, Cargill Protein sustainability manager, speaks at the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit. (Roy Graber)

Headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, Cargill Protein, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, is the third largest turkey company in the United States, having slaughtered 1 million pounds of live turkeys in 2017. Its key brands are Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms.

While speaking at IPPE, Tupa also spoke of other initiatives in its turkey business. She told of how Honeysuckle White was the first major turkey brand to pilot a blockchain-based solution that allows consumers to trace their turkey to the farm. The company introduced that program in 2017 and expanded on it in 2018.

She also mentioned that Cargill Protein was the first major turkey processor to install remote video auditing at all of its plants, and that on the farm, all turkey growers are trained in the best animal welfare techniques.

Cargill Protein was one of three multi-species animal protein companies to have representatives speak at the IPPE’s Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit. Also giving presentations were Leigh Ann Johnston, sustainability manager of Tyson Foods, and Dr. Kim Stackhouse, JBS USA director of sustainability.

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