Pork Checkoff Announces 2011 Pork Industry Environmental Stewards
September 20, 2011 | 3 min to read
The Pork Checkoff, along with its cosponsor, National Hog Farmer magazine, has selected four pork production operations to be honored as the 2011 Pork Industry Environmental Stewards. The award, now in its 17th year, recognizes producers who demonstrate a firm commitment to safeguarding the environment and their local communities.
This year's award recipients are:
- Golden Circle Pork, Woodward, Iowa
- John M. Langdon Farms, Benson, N.C.
- Wuebker Farms, Versailles, Ohio
- Cleveland Pork, Elysburg, Pa.
The Environmental Steward award winners were selected by judges represented by pork producers and environmental organizations. The judges reviewed applications from pork producers who are committed to upholding the ideal relationship between pork production and 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.
"Once again, the winners of this prestigious award consist of yet another great group of pork producers," said Lynn Harrison, chair of the Environmental Stewards selection subcommittee and former president of the National Pork Board. "The 2011 Stewards are real-world examples of how producers demonstrate the We Care principles every day as natural protectors of the environment and as good neighbors in their communities."
The award recipients will receive the recognition of their peers at the 2012 National Pork Industry Forum next March in Denver, Colo.
The National Pork Board has the 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 pork.org.
Rod and Missy Bice produce 6,600 wean-to-finish pigs annually on their farm set amid 1,400 acres of corn and soybeans near Woodward, Iowa. They and their children continue the farming tradition that began more than a century ago by both sides of the family. The Bices were also named Environmental Stewards for Iowa in 2010.
John and Eileen Langdon produce 20,000 finishing pigs per year on their 205-acre farm near Benson, N.C. They, along with their three grown children, also maintain 65 brood cows on the same farm that's been in the family for 70-plus years. The Langdons also were named Environmental Stewards for North Carolina in 2010.
Wuebker Farms – Versailles, Ohio
Jeff and Alan Wuebker raise nearly 43,000 weaned pigs per year on their diversified farming operation near Versailles, Ohio. The brothers, together with their families and employees, tend to not only the pigs, but to about 50 head of dairy beef cattle and more than 1,200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa.
Joel and Sarah Knoebel, along with Joel's father and brother, produce feeder-to-finish pigs in their 4,400-head, tunnel-ventilated building on the 500 acres they farm near Elysburg, Pa. The couple has started a scholarship at the local high school to help students who wish to pursue an agricultural career.
Source: National Pork Board