In observance of Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association highlighted two videos from its series emphasizing environmental stewardship on poultry and egg farms and at poultry companies with exemplary performance at water reclamation. The two videos are of Bullard Farms in Stedman N.C., and Tyson Foods in Russellville, Ark.
Bullard Farms is a recipient of USPOULTRY’s Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award, which recognizes exemplary environmental stewardship by family farms engaged in poultry and egg production. Tyson Foods is a recipient of USPOULTRY’s Clean Water Award, which recognizes exemplary performance at water reclamation facilities serving the poultry industry.
Bullard Farms is owned and operated by Collins Bullard and his wife, Alison. The Bullard’s own a 1,500-acre farm with eight turkey houses. They also raise pigs and grow corn, wheat, soybeans and hay. The Bullard’s grow 180,000 tom turkeys a year for Prestage Farms. All the litter produced by their turkeys are used on their crops. This has allowed the Bullard’s to increase profitability by eliminating the need for commercial fertilizer. They remove the litter after each flock and store the litter until it can be applied according to their nutrient management plan. Their storage facility is covered and off the ground to protect groundwater and prevent runoff of nutrients. The Bullard’s use a forced air compost facility that can hold 90,000 pounds of mortality at any given time. The use of GPS allows Bullard Farms to apply litter in specific areas where there is a need versus applying to the entire field. The farm has implemented a phosphorus-based nutrient management plan since they started raising turkeys in 2006.
Tyson Food’s Russellville, Ark., further processing facility treats an average of 200,000 thousand gallons of water per day. The facility has installed a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system to more efficiently monitor and operate dissolve air flotation units, flow meters, tanks, pumps and other equipment remotely. In an effort to save energy, the facility manages the operation of tank aerators to ensure they are not running simultaneously. The facility continuously reviews operations to expand its reuse of treated wastewater in an effort to cultivate and demonstrate their commitment to advance conservation efforts. The facility also offers team members the ability to participate in training courses from universities and other groups to further employee knowledge and increase the level of their wastewater treatment certification. Bullard Farms’ video can be viewed on USPOULTRY’s YouTube channel by clicking here, and the Tyson Foods’ video can be viewed by clicking here.
