Federal Grant Will Develop, Market NC Hog Waste Byproducts

(June 28, 2006 - Raleigh, NC)  Environmental Defense and Frontline Farmers today announced a $750,000 project that will support the development of byproducts from two leading innovative hog waste management technologies.  The project lays the foundation for widespread implementation of new, cleaner waste systems on farms across North Carolina and will help to establish the state as a leader in the management of agricultural waste.  The project will generate value-added products from hog waste and evaluate the economic potential of the products to generate new income for farmers.  The project is a pivotal step in implementing recommendations issued by NC State University based on six years of research on the best alternatives to traditional open-air lagoons.

The project is a public-private partnership launched with a $375,000 grant to NC State University (NCSU) from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a program within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The grant will be matched with funds from a collaboration of partners spearheaded by Environmental Defense and Frontline Farmers.  Earlier this year, Environmental Defense and Frontline Farmers identified USDA as a source of funding and then secured commitments for in-kind and cash contributions from the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, NC Department of Transportation, NC Division of Soil and Water Conservation, NatureWorks Organics, NCSU, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University and Super Soil Systems.

“The USDA grant confirms that we have done our homework on hogs,” said Dan Whittle, senior attorney for the North Carolina office of Environmental Defense.  “The grant supports our plan for making proven technologies affordable and widely available.  It jump starts a new future for hog farming.  It is an investment in the right direction.”

“There are motivated farmers out here who are willing to explore new technologies, but they need some seed money to make the transition,” said Chuck Stokes, a co-founder of Frontline Farmers from Ayden.  “This grant will help put new technologies where they belong – directly in the hands of farmers – and lead to lower costs for all farmers.  There’s going to be a ripple effect for years to come.”

“The grant is a huge vote of confidence in a clean, profitable future for hog farming,” said Rep. Carolyn Justice, who introduced a bill in the NC House to establish a voluntary Early Adoption Program for farmers installing new waste systems.  “The USDA is saying, ‘North Carolina has the right idea, and we are going to invest in it.’  This is big news for the entire state, not just hog farming counties.  If North Carolina also makes an investment, we have the potential to bring in many more millions of dollars in federal funding.”

For more information on NC hog farming, visit www.environmentaldefense.org/go/nchogs.