Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit: Implementation Key To Continuous Improvement

Feb 06, 2017

"Continuous improvement never ends, so efficiency has to improve. If we want to do things better, we need to focus on certain areas, including water use and quality, soil erosion and land use, energy use, nutrient use efficiency, manure from farms, as well as other areas. Implementation is the key. We have to change things," said Dr. Marty Matlock, executive director of the University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability and professor of Ecological Engineering, during his presentation at the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit held during the 2017 International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta.

Matlock's presentation, "What is Sustainable Agriculture and How Do You Demonstrate It," focused on expanding opportunities for stakeholder engagement and sharing improvement technologies and practices. Matlock explained key performance, environmental sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability indicators. He remarked, "After identifying measurable elements in each indicator, you will know what is already measured, what can be measured and what should be measured. The common measurements in the sector will be classified as system metrics for benchmarking."

In her presentation on "An Industry Success Story on Achieving Zero Landfill Status," Michele Boney, director of environmental, health and safety, West Liberty Foods, discussed the company's journey in obtaining Landfill Free certification. Boney noted that West Liberty Foods previously produced 7.5 million pounds of waste that went to landfills annually, comparable to 312 garbage trucks. Since 2012, West Liberty Foods has diverted 520,000,000 pounds of waste from landfills. She remarked that the company is continuing to work on projects that support their sustainability initiatives, such as baler versus compacting that would reduce trucks on the road, utilizing solar and/or wind power, and working with their electrical company to find solutions on energy projects.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.