1.
What is a
Carbon Footprint?
How is the carbon footprint determined for a
swine farm?
Example screen from the NPB Pork
Environmental Footprint Calculator
So, why is it called a “carbon footprint” rather than a
“greenhouse gas footprint?”
In 2008, the National Pork Board (NPB) began an effort to define the total
GHG emissions created from production to consumption of a 4 oz. serving of
boneless pork based on on-farm and off-farm practices. The assessment
included feed production, pig production, delivery of market hogs to the
processor, processing of the animals, packaging, project distribution, retail,
purchasing, and consumer preparation. The effort by the National Pork Board
to understand and calculate the carbon footprint of a 4 oz. serving of
boneless pork was not a simple undertaking. To read more about the data
and process used for this analysis, you can visit http://tinyurl.com/porklca.
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Each
of these gases has a different potential for impacting global warming. For
simplification, methane and nitrous oxide gases are typically converted to a
“carbon dioxide equivalent,” or CO2e, based upon their global warming
potential relative to the global warming potential of CO2. By converting all
GHGs to the equivalent amount of global warming potential of CO2 they
represent, the carbon footprint of different activities or processes can be
compared based on a single metric.
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced for something as simple as a single activity,
such as driving to and from work each week, or a series of activities related to a process, such as producing and selling a
product. The larger the impact, the bigger the footprint. It is determined by assessing all activities related to the activity or
process to determine the GHG emissions resulting from that activity. The sum of these individual GHG emissions then
equals the total “carbon footprint” for that activity or process.
Pork producers understand and appreciate their responsibility to protect and
preserve natural resources. Obviously, many of the steps in the process of
creating, purchasing, and preparing a 4 oz. portion of boneless pork
occur after the pig leaves the farm gate. But calculating a farm’s carbon
footprint can allow a producer to understand what practices on the farm
contribute to the carbon footprint and what options exist for reducing the
farm’s carbon footprint. For example, the CO2e emissions created from
practices to control barn temperature could be impacted by improving barn
insulation, servicing fans to improve efficiency, or repairing torn curtains.
How can I use this information?
NPB
Pig Production
Environmental
Footprint Calculator
The NPB Pig Production Environmental Footprint
Calculator provides an estimate of carbon
emissions based on data entered in the
calculator. It cannot tell a producer the exact
amount of carbon dioxide being released into the
atmosphere for a farm, but it does provide an
estimate from which improvements can be
considered.
Ashley Schmit, Animal Science Student, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Tia Muller, Agricultural Engineering Student, South Dakota State University,
Abigail Repenning, Agricultural Engineering Student, South Dakota State University
Amy Millmier Schmidt, Livestock Bioenvironmental Engineer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Erin Cortus, Agricultural Engineer, South Dakota State University
Richard Stowell, Livestock Housing Engineer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Carbon Footprint for this farm
Farm: Gestation Barn and Lagoon
The Pig Production Environmental Footprint Calculator
was developed with grant support (#2011-68002-30208)
from the USDA National Institute of Food and
Agriculture.