Minnesota pork producers say they have a road map to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% this decade without a "one-size-fits-all approach."
The Minnesota Pork Board released a report Tuesday that outlines a range of actions to make pork production more sustainable by 2030. Cover crops, reduced tillage, manure management and grassland and wetland restoration can yield the biggest reductions in on-farm emissions.
Rather than impose a mandate — which makes many farmers bristle — the report shows how each change can reduce heat-trapping gases.
"I think most producers are astute enough that if they see a better way to do things, they'll come along," said Randy Spronk, a Pipestone County pig farmer who has adopted a number of conservation practices. "Society trusts me with a lot of resources, and I want to show the consumer and retailer that they can trust me."
Minnesota is the nation's No. 2 pork producer behind Iowa and is home to more than 3,000 family pig farms. Agriculture accounts for a quarter of the state's greenhouse gas emissions; animal agriculture is about 8% of total emissions.
"In order to meet Minnesota's climate goals, we're going to need to work with farmers," said Rich Biske, the regional resilient waters director for The Nature Conservancy, which reviewed the Pork Board report. "We also get other benefits when making our lands and watersheds more resilient to intense rainfall, runoff and erosion."
Biske said government agencies and private-sector partners can help by making sure access to technology, equipment and technical assistance is widely available and trusted.
"We're going to need state and federal support to back them up and reduce some of the risk and perceived risk," he said.
The state's carbon reduction goal matches the nationwide target set for the industry by the Pork Checkoff and the National Pork Board. The groups are funding a voluntary sustainability reporting program that sets baselines and establishes a tracking system.
"From my standpoint as a producer, you want to have a benchmark so you can compare year-to-year to actually show what you've done," Spronk said. "What am I doing for water quality, soil quality — and what am I doing for my main goal, a safe food product?"
The industry group emphasized the voluntary nature of this program. "Farmers shared that they want to become more sustainable — not because sustainability is mandated, but because it makes sense for their farms, now and in the future," the report said.
Biske said if farmers are wondering when they should start, "it's now."
"It doesn't need to be an all-at-once change," he said. "But now is the time to try something."
