The group has joined the United Soybean Board and the National Corn Growers Association in agreeing to share research with each other. The aim is to educate and motivate pig and grain farmers to adopt conservation measures that deliver environmental benefits to the industry.
The three organisations signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreeing to the terms.
National Pork Board president Steve Rommereim said joining the collective group would achieve its sustainability goals.
“Sustainability is defined by the We Care ethical principles pork producers established over 10 years ago,” said Rommereim. “Joining in the efforts of two other organisations, as a collective group we can more effectively spend producer dollars to achieve the goals we can all believe in and support. Without one, we wouldn’t have the other.”
The We Care initiative was launched alongside the National Pork Producers Council to promote responsible practices in all areas of farming.
Meanwhile, United Soybean Board chair Lewis Bainbridge, who is also a livestock farmer in South Dakota, said it was important to collaborate to tackle sustainability issues where possible.
“We need to be supportive of one another, especially now when there’s more interest in what we’re doing to produce our commodities,” said Bainbridge. “We need to be looking at the big picture of how our commodities work together and take that a step further.”
A task force of farmer representatives from the three bodies will be responsible for managing and evaluating the activities outlined in the MOU. Additionally, the task force will track progress and evaluate the value and impact of the MOU upon completion of all activities.
