“Our farms have long been criticized for errors we made long ago despite the ensuing years of environmental improvement and industry leadership, so reaching our goal of no NOVs system-wide is a very rewarding achievement. We are tremendously proud of the determination and dedication of all our employees at Murphy-Brown and our international operations,” said Dennis Treacy, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods.

A decade ago, Smithfield adopted an environmental policy committing the company to pollution prevention and continuous improvement in its environmental performance. In 2002 Smithfield received ISO 14001 certification for all of its domestic company-owned farms, and by 2004 its processing facilities also earned the same ISO certification.

“Each day we face new challenges throughout our industry, which makes this achievement just one step in our ongoing journey,” Treacy said.

Everything from backpacks and penholders to books and writing utensils are donated by Smithfield so local children are equipped to tackle whatever comes their way. And to promote a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, students were given schedules with daily tips and suggestions. All in all, the project helps put kids in a better position to achieve academic success.

The program began on September 13, 2011, in Masloc, one of 65 villages and cities where supplies would be provided over the course of several days. In total, Smithfield employees visited more than 3,500 children (kindergarten through 8^th grade) at 40 different schools throughout the rural communities of Arad and Timis Counties. The program also included the children of Agroalim employees from 11 towns across the country where the company, which is now part of the Smithfield family, operates.

To date, nearly 10,000 children have benefitted from the program and begun their school-year with positive momentum.

Here are some highlights of the events sponsored:

• Animex sponsored events at eight different locations which included over 350 participants.
• The Farmland Monmouth plant has participated every year, and this year (as in years past) they sponsored two events at local middle/junior high schools.
• The John Morrell/Armour-Eckrich plant in Junction City had a program for over 20 teachers and 80 kids! They had a water-monitoring station, a water analysis station, a leaf rubbing station, a nature station, and an environmental scavenger hunt. All this was followed by grilling out some of their product and handing out WWMD t-shirts.

Thanks to Ferme, AgriPlus, Animex, Stefano’s, Murphy-Brown, Smithfield Packing, Farmland, and John Morrell for sponsoring events this year. We think it was a great success, and look forward to next year’s sampling.