Holdings Sustainability Report 2022 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 31
PLANET
Carbon Footprint
Defining a Carbon Footprint Calculator
“Climate change” and “climate crisis” are topics that have gained the attention of policymakers,
businesses, and consumers across the globe. Farmers have always been stewards of the land and
environment but demonstrating how we are being responsible when it comes to our carbon footprint is
becoming exceedingly important.
What we have learned after several years of evaluating platforms is that although there are numerous
ways to calculate the carbon footprint, the inputs or resources used remain the same. We will continue
to report all the raw data needed to calculate the carbon footprint in this report. In other words, we
will simply report the lbs of feed purchased, kwh of electricity used, etc. This is all to continue to be
transparent and authentic, while continuing to improve our natural resource use.
For a sow farm, there are 6 categories that contribute to the carbon footprint. Those include Feed,
Energy, Manure, Fuel, Mortality Disposal, and Water. The next natural question you may ask is “How can
I improve the carbon footprint of my pig farm?” to help answer this, we’ve put together a short list below
of items that make the biggest impact.
Best Practices to Improve the Carbon Footprint of your Farm:
1. Lagoons in comparison to deep pit sites emit almost twice the emission on average. Although we
realize this is not something easily changed in your system, it is something worth considering if you
are evaluating building new sites. 86% of PIPESTONE Managed sow farm sites are deep pits and all
new construction sites are built deep pit.
2. Pumping your manure pit twice a year versus once a year.
3. Focus on feed efficiency. For economic reasons this is naturally a focus at farms, but it also has an
impact on your carbon footprint.
4. Implement carbon farming practices on your land to lower the carbon footprint of your feed
ingredients. To learn more about regenerative ag practices and how farmers are participating in
carbon credit programs, read more on page 29.
5. Invest in an on-site renewable energy option such as wind or solar, or purchase Renewable Energy
Credits from your local utility provider. In 2022, 36% of sow farms were considered 100% renewable
because of supporting Renewable Energy Credits.
6. Consider implementing more energy efficient products or protocols. For example, switching to LED
lightbulbs, implementing heat mats instead of heat bulbs, and increasing “night-time” hours at farms
were all changes that had a positive production and carbon intensity outcome.
These are just a few things that Pipestone Management has learned and is working on to improve the
carbon footprint of our sow farms.
2023 Goals:
Develop the GreenStone Farmers business plan to create a profitable carbon solution for it’s farmer-owners
implementing regenerative Ag programs.
2022 Annual and Sustainability Report
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