We Care: It's Our Job
by Georgia Miller, Communications Intern, NPPC
Centuries
ago, when technology spanned no further than the wheel and shovel, the first
farmers and ranchers raised their animals according to their own rules. There
was no manual or book, save the farmer’s almanac, to guide them along their way.
They relied upon one another to learn new things and to hold themselves
accountable for the advancement of production practices. Every farm was
different, but a common instinct drove all successful farmers: your livelihood
depended on the responsible use of your land and the proper care of your animals.
These instincts haven’t
left us, but consumer trust and understanding of food production has diminished
as new generations are growing more and more distant from agriculture. Although our food
is safer, better-tasting and more sustainable than ever before, many consumers
aren’t convinced. By 2050, there will be 10 billion mouths to feed, making technological
innovation, production efficiency, and safety more important than ever. If we are
to successfully address this challenge, we must find new ways to educate
consumers about the technology and innovation that will be key in meeting the
world’s food needs and expectations for ever-more sustainable production
systems.
Gene
editing in livestock, for example, is an emerging technology that can accelerates
genetic improvements that could be realized over long periods of time through
breeding. It allows for simple changes in a pig’s native genetic structure
without introducing genes from another species. The
National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is a advocate for the development of
this technology because it has the potential to eliminate animal diseases, such
as Porcine
Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, that
cause animal suffering while decreasing the need to use antibiotics in pork
production and reducing pork production’s environmental footprint.
The promise of technologies like
gene editing won’t be realized if we don’t reduce the gap between the pace of
innovation and consumer understanding of modern food production.
That’s why NPPC and the National Pork
Board created We Care℠, an initiative designed to promote responsible practices in all areas of production while
meeting consumer expectations for transparency at the local, state, national,
and international levels. The We Care commitment has allowed U.S. pork to
use nearly 76 percent less land, more than 25 percent less water and seven
percent less energy since 1960. It is this same commitment that drives our
support of gene editing and other technologies that allow us to build on our
track record of success.
While nearly
everything about farming has changed in the last 200 hundred years, one thing
has always stayed the same: when it comes to our animals and our land, We Care.
It’s our job.
About
the Author:
Raised
on a third-generation swine and grain farm, Georgia Miller realized her love
for agriculture at a very young age. She is from Niantic, Illinois, where her
family has raised purebred Berkshire hogs for more than 50 years. Currently,
Georgia is a student at Iowa State University studying Agricultural Education
and Agriculture in Society. At NPPC, she is taking that passion to new heights
by expanding her knowledge of public policy and agricultural issues to become a
stronger, more diverse advocate for the industry she loves so much.
