North Carolina’s Agriculture Industry Focuses on Environmental Sustainability

In partnership with: North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

For many years, North Carolina farmers have seen the potential challenges of climate change. Our farmers recognize that revolutions in farming practices could make a major difference for the environment – so they’re doing something about it. While agriculture experts have worked to preserve natural resources, here are a few leading contemporary efforts to place environmental sustainability at the center of agricultural work.

Advocating for Change

James Lamb is an environmental specialist with N.C.-based Prestage Farms. His background in the swine industry has led him to work on various national committees over the years, including the National Pork Board’s environmental committee. Lamb sees how pork farmers are making their voices heard in the national conversation on environmental sustainability.

The committee Lamb worked on was instrumental, for example, in partnering with the University of Arkansas to create a technological tool that helped hog farmers calculate and then reduce their carbon footprint.

“You could put in basic information, like the lights in the barn, and see what kinds of changes happen if you switch to LEDs,” Lamb says.

Through programs like the We Care Initiative, a comprehensive commitment to a high-quality pork supply and sustainable farming practices, and advocacy and information sessions in Washington, D.C., Lamb and other like-minded farmers in the pork industry have been able to demonstrate major gains.

Achieving Ambitious Goals

Many producers are making sustainability a priority, setting ambitious goals for progress.

Tar Heel’s Smithfield Foods has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions across its U.S. supply chain by 25 percent by 2025 (or “25 by 25,” as it’s been dubbed) while simultaneously pursuing aggressive reductions in waste going to the landfill from its production facilities. The company is also developing the technology to produce renewable natural gas from wastewater and manure, creating new revenue streams for producers.

“We’ve figured out a way for biogas production to be commercially viable for family farms – rather than using methane on the farms themselves, we collect it from a network of farms and inject it into a pipeline to be sold as a renewable fuel,” says Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability officer at Smithfield Foods.

See more: How North Carolina Organizations Are Reducing Food Waste

By partnering with various energy companies, including Dominion Energy, Smithfield combines its expertise in agricultural production with the existing energy grid infrastructure. As a result, the company pursues projects that benefit the planet while offering economic benefits to North Carolina’s farmers.

“We’ve been at this for 20 years, and it has really evolved far beyond environmental regulatory compliance, encompassing initiatives that are important to our customers and to us,” Leeth says. “It’s become ingrained in the company and our outlook, and it’s what inspires us to continually build upon our industry-leading goals. For example, last year we built upon our ‘25 by 25’ goal and became the first major protein company to commit to becoming carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations by 2030. This promise will take us beyond carbon neutrality to effectively remove more carbon from the atmosphere than we emit.”

Supporting Ongoing Conversations

Smithfield Foods exemplifies how a large producer can show dynamic leadership and motivate others to follow suit. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) itself also provides resources and participates in climate change conversations.

Through its association with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, NCDA&CS is working with other states on improving sustainability and resiliency in our nation. It’s important that agriculture continues to have a seat at the table as conversations on sustainability and climate change move forward.

A Seat at the Table

Farmers and other agriculture professionals are eager to be a part of the discussion. They are members of numerous organizations, coalitions and task forces dedicated to finding solutions.

Perhaps the largest U.S. coalition in this category is the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, comprised of multiple organizations that represent farmers, agribusinesses, ranchers and others within the agriculture industry. Together, these members advocate for policy changes across the food, forestry and agriculture sectors. To learn more, visit agclimatealliance.com.

Founding members include:

• National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

• American Farm Bureau Federation

• National Farmers Union

• The Nature Conservancy

• National Alliance of Forest Owners

• Environmental Defense Fund

• National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

• The Food Industry Association

Steering committee members include:

• American Sugar Alliance

• National Milk Producers Federation

• National Cotton Council of America

• Ducks Unlimited

• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

• National Corn Growers Association

• American Seed Trade Association

• USA Rice