“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.

While PSF’s agreement with the state designated a final deadline of July 31, 2012 to complete the project, final installation procedures took place on December 29, 2011. In total, installation costs of the next generation barn scraper technology exceeded $7 million.

“A great deal of perseverance and cooperation on the part of the state and our company went into this project over the past ten years, and now that it’s completed we believe we are setting the standard for environmental technology,” said Bill Homann, director of administration and compliance for PSF.

“In fact, our production employees and environmental staff experts are very happy with how well the next generation technology is working. The systems are exceeding our expectations and providing a very positive impact,” he added.

We’re thrilled to see a decade’s worth of hard work culminate in such a concerted fashion. PSF’s diligence has not only helped to preserve hundreds of jobs in the area, but will also serve to improve the future quality of life for all of our friends and families who call north Missouri home.

Education is at the heart of community growth and development. However, less than desirable economic conditions have forced many school districts around the country to take on budget cuts, often implying the end for certain extracurriculars and student services. Premium Standard Farms (PSF), a subsidiary of Murphy-Brown LLC, recognizes the importance of those programs in promoting a well-rounded education for local students.

In northern Missouri, PSF is working hard to positively impact the communities in which it operates by providing local schools with an additional source of income. In September, PSF made a donation of over 1300 cases of bottled water to 14 local rural high schools to sell in their concession stands. School groups who work concessions will have an opportunity to raise additional funds, thereby improving overall stability for extracurricular activities.

Over 20 PSF employees volunteered to help load five trucks and trailers for the delivery of the donation, working with students, faculty and staff to unload the water at each school. PSF remains committed to serving the communities in which they operate.

After joining the government affairs department of PSF’s processing business in 1993, his role with the company has continued to grow as he held a variety of positions before being named to his current title in 2002.

While the challenges Brian and the entire PSF team have faced are substantial, the company’s commitment to the environment, along with the marketplace trends and weather patterns, all have spurred PSF to create new and innovative ways to meet the diverse challenges of animal agriculture. For example, excessive rainfall during the past three years has challenged Brian and his team to develop new and innovative approaches to safely and successfully land-apply excess water while continuing to protect the environment. His team is constantly developing new technologies, ways to reduce costs, and ways to better recycle and reuse resources to the benefit of the environment. Among their chief accomplishments is the development of Next Generation Technology, born from 10 years of research, to address odor.

Brian and the PSF team view these challenges as opportunities to learn and to apply their expertise in new ways. He remarked that in order to effectively respond to all these pressures, the company has needed to adopt an attitude of teamwork.

“No one person makes or breaks anything,” Brian said. He attributed the success of the company to the combined efforts of people, such as their land application team, production team, legal team, environmental team, and the company’s leadership. “Everyone is involved in this effort,” Brian stated, “all the way up to the president of the company. Everyone must understand the environmental management system and how they should do their part. There must be accountability at every level.”

Premium Standard Farms is a subsidiary of Murphy-Brown, LLC. Click here to learn more about PSF and their environmental systems.

One of the first operations to be converted was in Utah. We are also currently converting operations in Waverly, Virginia. We expect to have nearly 30 percent of our company-owned sows housed in group housing by the end of 2011.

Close to 100 representatives of Smithfield Foods, John Morrell, Smithfield Packing Company, Farmland Foods, and Murphy-Brown, along with invited guests, attended this year’s program. Ian Olson, director of sustainability for Darden Restaurants, was the keynote speaker.

This year’s theme was “Our Commitments,” which reflected environmental management initiatives that altogether resulted in approximately the following:

• 128 million gallons of water saved

• 17,402,247 kwhs of electricity conserved

• 109,868 decatherms of natural gas not used

• 2,336 tons of solid waste materials not landfilled

• 3,397 tons of additional cardboard recycling

• 166,365 gallons of diesel fuel not used

A total of 168 projects were submitted, resulting in an annual cost savings of over $13 million that only required $5 million in capital expenditures. One President’s Award and 10 Environmental Excellence Awards were presented in a wide range of project categories representing Smithfield Foods’ strong commitment to sustainability.

The President’s Award was given to Don Butler and Rhonda Campbell, two employees of Smithfield’s hog production subsidiary, Murphy-Brown, LLC. These two employees produced a video series entitled “Taking the Mystery Out of Pork Production,” which is available at www.takingoutthemystery.com. As the first publicly available footage of its kind in the pork industry, the documentary series provides an inside view of the pork production process, from farrow to finish To date, the series has nearly 30,000 views, and it was awarded two Telly Awards this past year.

Brian Paulsen of Premium Standard Farms was selected as this year’s “Zero Hero” for his work addressing regulatory compliance while integrating a revolutionary odor management technology in Missouri as part of an agreement with the state.

“These accomplishments reflect our employees’ commitment to our proactive corporate social responsibility program that is working at every level of our company,” said Bill Gill, assistant vice president for environmental affairs.

Dennis Treacy, Smithfield’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer, added, “Our award recipients have achieved meaningful reductions in our environmental impact and deserve to be recognized for their hard work and innovation. Cost savings are great, but improving our processes will help preserve the environment for future generations, and that’s something to strive for.”

If you’re like most consumers, you’ve had questions about where your food comes from, and you’ve most likely gone to the Internet or TV to find answers. The development of social media and video sharing in America and around the world has provided a great opportunity for food producers.

Our desire is to show consumers the truth about what we do, in order to dispel rumors, correct misinformation, and answer consumers’ questions about the farm side of our operations. Optimally, we would invite each and every consumer to tour our facilities and see firsthand that we care for our employees, animals, and the environment. But of course, arranging tours on such a large scale is impossible. Aside from the logistical issues associated with millions of people touring facilities, we cannot compromise the comfort and safety of our animals—there are bio security concerns associated with so many potential visitors to hog farms as well as concerns about causing stress to the animals.

In light of these concerns, last year Murphy-Brown began documenting hog production through video. This footage is the first of its kind in the modern pork industry, and Murphy-Brown hoped that it would be used in educational capacities, used by traditional media outlets in news reporting, and would be viewed by the public. This way, even though consumers cannot physically tour the farm, they are still able to learn about their practices and values.

The filming and editing process took many months and included trips to facilities across the country and meetings with farmers, animal care experts like Temple Grandin, company employees, veterinarians, and company executives. It eventually resulted in the creation of seven videos, ranging in length from three to 10 minutes. The videos were officially released on March 7, 2011, and the story was picked up by the Associated Press along with many other mainstream media sources. Various industry publications have also asked for interviews and comments regarding the video series and what it means to the pork industry. The videos received over 8,000 views on their release day and have over 27,000 views to date.

You can view the videos on our YouTube page, our SchoolTube page, and on Murphy-Brown’s corporate website.

Farmland Foods, Premium Standard Farms, and Murphy-Brown in Missouri joined with the Smithfield Packing Company in Virginia to volunteer, financially support local relief organizations, and donate food and supplies.

• Smithfield Packing donated an entire truckload of meat products.
• Farmland Foods partnered with Wal-Mart in providing 500 $50 gift cards to Joplin families and donated $15,000 to the American Red Cross to support local efforts.
• Murphy-Brown donated two pallets of supplies, and employees cooked 1,000 pork burgers from the Missouri Pork Producers Association to feed emergency personnel and volunteers.
• Murphy-Brown also donated $1,500 to the American Red Cross, $1,500 to the Joplin Area YMCA Childcare Relief Fund, and $2,000 to local volunteer workgroups for supplies and food.
• Premium Standard Farms aided in the clean-up effort and donated pork to a local grassroots organization that volunteered to cook for residents.
• All four businesses worked with the Joplin YMCA to provide free daycare service to tornado victims.

“This was a terrible tragedy, but the selflessness and generosity of many people and businesses has helped Joplin become stronger than ever,” said Larry Pope, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods.

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.

The funds were distributed to five local counties and divided among school districts in those areas according to the county’s discretion. Eight of the school districts have shared their plans for the monies. Some will use it to reduce class size, some to reduce budget deficits, or to complete various unfinished projects. “The donation from PSF gives us an opportunity to look at projects we may not have otherwise been able to consider,” said one superintendent. One school district even noted that the funds would mean the difference between a negative and a positive balance sheet this year.

Like the rest of the nation, Missouri school districts have undergone severe budget cuts in the past few years due to the economic recession. Many are finding it tough to provide students with the quality education they deserve in light of these cuts. One school district superintendent stated, “The donation is very much appreciated during these unprecedented and difficult times for school funding.” That’s why our commitment to promoting a better education for students in our communities is so crucial. We can make a difference for these students, and as a large corporation we have a responsibility to do so. Premium Standard Farms is setting a great example of partnering with their community to provide a better learning environment for their local students.