There are 59 item(s) tagged with the keyword "environmental footprint".
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The Protein PACT for the People, Animals & Climate of Tomorrow unites partners including the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) across the animal agriculture supply chain in the largest-ever effort to strengthen animal protein’s contributions to the people, animals and climate of tomorrow. Following the Protein PACT’s launch in July 2021, the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) and our partners have been hard at work to set measurable baselines, verify progress toward ambitious achievements and communicate transparently about how nutrient-dense animal-sourced foods contribute to sustainable food security solutions.
Wow, we’re already in week two of the new year, and I am still getting used to writing “2023.” Before we completely wrap up 2022, I wanted to briefly share an interesting development that happened just prior to everyone putting up their out of office messages for the holidays. In late December, the American Feed Industry Association submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), asking the agency to expand the expertise and use of the feed management standard in current government conservation programs.
The Institute for Feed Education and Research is making progress on several of its sustainability initiatives. We are wrapping up phase one of the Sustainability Road Map project and will be releasing a sustainability toolkit for feed industry members in January during the International Production and Processing Expo. Another project, the Feed Systems Sustainability Summit, held in September, was a great success and the takeaways are informing actions for the industry and its stakeholders. During the November Sustainable Agriculture Summit (SAS), over 800 representatives from the food value chain gathered, networked and made plans to advance sustainability efforts up and down the supply chain. All of these initiatives are informing IFEEDER’s actions to support feed systems sustainability, and our next steps are taking shape as we prepare to shift to phase two of our efforts.
This week, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) made headlines for the research work we support at the Clarity and Leadership for Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR) Center at the University of California-Davis. Despite detractors’ efforts to discredit research underway, we are proud of the work we do with public institutions, such as the CLEAR Center. We can’t address food security while reducing our environmental impact independently. We must engage.
Our peers in animal agriculture, that is the farmers and ranchers who produce meat, milk and eggs every day for Americans to eat, must think holistically about the sustainability of their production systems. Beyond their downstream customers’ sustainability reporting desires, they are responsible to the communities surrounding their farms, regulatory agencies monitoring environmental impact and consuming public’s perceptions.
If you ask me, Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, Ph.D., AgNext director and Colorado State University animal science professor, hit the nail on the head about how sustainability is viewed in the animal food industry. I recently spoke with her about some of the challenges the agricultural community will face in the coming years – from increased corporate emissions reporting to carbon markets – and the steps the feed industry could take now to prepare.
Most of the environmental impact for animal protein is embedded in the feed that animals eat. By reducing feed impacts, food companies have an opportunity to make significant progress toward climate and sustainability goals.
Ever wondered what science-based targets really are or why they may be relevant to animal food? We’ve got a webinar opportunity for you to listen and learn.
On Sept. 28-29, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will be bringing together the full feed value chain for a Feed Systems Sustainability Summit. The goal is for us to bring a diverse group of participants from upstream and downstream entities together to hold conversations around four critical components of sustainable feed systems: circularity, innovation, regenerative agriculture and responsible sourcing.
Fuel prices. That’s all I have to say to put somebody in a bad mood nowadays. With gasoline prices well over $4 a gallon and diesel prices over $5 a gallon in many areas of the country, there is no question as to why people get upset—especially if they are involved in agriculture. Since many farmers and ranchers rely on diesel fuel to run their operations, the agriculture industry has been taking an extremely hard hit during this period of price inflation.
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