Fall has arrived and ushers in all the seasonal favorites – pumpkin spice lattes, apple picking, football season, and National Pork Month! Whether you’re watching your favorite team play from home, hanging out with friends and family in a college town on Saturday, or visiting your local local to cheer on your community on Sunday, nothing goes better with pigskin and Wisconsin pork! Football games and good food bring us all closer together, and these gatherings often center around a barbecue or smokehouse serving the highest quality cuts of meat from a Wisconsin farmer.
When you’re eagerly awaiting the ribs to come off the smoker or the pork to be pulled from the pot, you can rest assured that the pork you enjoy meets the highest standards for animal and environmental protection.
Pig farmers strive for a sustainable future. Their livelihoods are directly linked to the land, water and air, so they take on great responsibility for protecting their natural resources.
Farmers across the country are proud to produce more pork than ever before with less input. Over the last 50 years Pig farmers reduced their impact on the environment using 75.9% less land, 25.1% less water, 7% less energy and 7.7% lower carbon emissions per pound of pork.
Pig manure can be used as a valuable fertilizer that will aid escalate soil diversity. Farmers are working with scientists to develop the best methods for applying fertilizer to their fields, such as taking soil samples, GPS tracking and adapting diets to meet the nutritional needs of pigs while reducing manure production.
Pig farmers work tough to manage air quality and minimize odors from their farms. They want to be good neighbors and stewards of their communities, so they often inform the community when they spread manure or avoid spreading on weekends to control odors at events and gatherings. They also plant trees and shrubs as windbreaks to keep the smell of fertilizer from entering the community.
Clean water is necessary to raising fit pigs, and farmers hold themselves to high standards in maintaining water quality. Drinking systems account for the majority of water consumption in pig farming. Pig farming uses 25% less water than 20 years ago thanks to improved facility management and drinker design.
Pigs are great for recycling and may consume food production residues or food waste. Pigs and farm animals are part of the solution to food waste, turning useless food products into high-quality protein for us to enjoy.
Whether you’re enjoying BBQ ribs at a soccer stadium tailgate or pork chops at a family dinner, you can rest assured that the meat you’re eating comes from the best pork in the world – raised with sustainability and concern for animals as highest priority. How will you taste pork in October?
