CLIVE — The Iowa Pork Producers Association has presented its 2014 Iowa Environmental Steward Award to a Greene County farm family.
Brian and JoAnne Hunter, who have a diversified crop and livestock farm near Scranton, received a trophy and $2,500 cash recently at the 43rd annual Iowa Pork Congress banquet in Des Moines. The award was presented by IPPA president David Struthers (left) of Collins.
The Hunters own and operate three wean-to-finish hog farms and finish 26,400 head a year under contract with Murphy Brown. In addition to raising hogs, the Hunters farm 1,200 acres of corn, care for a small feeder calf herd and raise 300 chickens for personal and employee consumption.
The Hunters operation is one of the first wean-to-finish sites in Iowa and the Murphy Brown system. The farm also has gone through a USDA-certified “Process Verification Program,” which requires a third-party audit ensuring food safety standards have been met prior to marketing.
The award application included detailed information about the Hunters’ manure storage and management, biosecurity, conservation efforts, site aesthetics, and ongoing education. The Hunters are previous recipients of an Izaak Walton League Windbreak Award from the Greene County soil and water conservation district.
The Environmental Steward Award was established in 2007 by the IPPA Environmental Committee to recognize pork producers who go above and beyond in environmental stewardship. The selection committee judges nominees on the producer’s manure management, soil and water conservation practices, air quality strategies, wildlife habitat management and environmental management innovations.
The selection committee consists of the IPPA Board of Directors, the IPPA Environmental Committee and Iowa State University Extension and Pheasants Forever officials.
