Submitted by David Warner, National Pork Producers Council
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t appreciate a slice (or six!) of bacon.
But how many people think about how that bacon is made? Well, thanks to America’s pork farmers, bacon is produced more sustainably than ever.
Sustainability means many different things to different people. For many farmers, sustainability means leaving the land in better condition than they inherited it, allowing for many more generations to keep farming. Sustainability is nothing new to pork farmers.
To ensure they are being sustainable, farmers use sound science and work with leading experts to determine how what is done on the farm will impact carbon, air, water and land footprints. As a result, in the past 50 years, American pork farmers have reduced their carbon footprint by 35%; reduced water use by 41%; and reduced the amount of land used by 78%.
At the same time, they have been producing more and more pork for a hungry world. In 1959, it took eight pigs to produce 1,000 pounds of pork. Today, it takes only five.
Pork farmers are not only making the right decisions on the farm, they’re also are involved in their communities. They’re on the scene, grilling and giving away hot pork meals when devastating floods hit Nashville, Hurricane Sandy destroyed parts of New York and New Jersey, and tornadoes tore apart Oklahoma. And pork farmers across the country routinely donate pork, a much-needed protein, to local food banks.
So the next time you reach for the bacon, you can feel good about how it got to your plate.
