Randy Spronk elected as chair of USMEF

Nov 13, 2023

Spronk say exports will be key to recovery for the pork market in 2024

By Jean-Paul McDonald
Farms.com
Photo credit: USMEF

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) announced that Randy Spronk, president and managing partner for Spronk Brothers Holding, was elected chair of USMEF.

Spronk is a past president of the National Pork Producers Council as well as the Pork Producers Association.

Spronk is prioritizing exporting U.S. beef, pork and lamb in the international marketplace.

Spronk acknowledged that the US is experiencing domestic demand challenges for a variety of reasons, but he believes focusing on the international markets will bring profitability back to the domestic swine industry.

“I think it's very important that we actually focus again on our exports,” said Spronk in an audio report. “I think it's one of the things that we've identified in the swine industry is our story on sustainability. That can differentiate. It's because of how we produce our feed. It's about our corn and our soybean, how we utilize that that is our sustainability story that nobody else in the world can replicate."

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.