ELYSBURG - A local pork producing operation received a prestigious award from its industry peers.
Cleveland Pork, owned by Joel and Sarah Knoebel, was one of four operations in the country to be honored as the 2011 Pork Industry Environmental Stewards. The award, now in its 17th year, recognizes producers who demonstrate "a firm commitment to safeguarding the environment and their local communities." It was created by The Pork Checkoff from the National Pork Board and National Hog Farmer magazine.
The Knoebels, along with Joel's father and brother, produce feeder-to-finish pigs in their 4,400-head tunnel ventilated building on the 500 acres they farm near Elysburg.
In a National Hog Farmer Magazine article profiling the operation, Joel Knoebel talked about using cover crops and no-till to help boost organic matter on soils that receive manure nutrients.
"We use manure, not as a burden, but to help lower our cost of production on the row-crop operation and to help keep us sustainable," Knoebel said.
Raising hogs give the farm a weatherproof source of income, and using the manure instead of fertilizer has also drastically reduced costs for crop production.
In addition, Knoebel speaks to students at his alma mater, Penn State University, and volunteers with the local 4-H club. The couple have started a scholarship at Southern Columbia Area High School to help students who wish to pursue an agricultural career.
Other award winners represent farms in Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio.
The Environmental Steward award winners were selected by judges represented by pork producers and environmental organizations. The judges reviewed applications from pork producers who are committed to upholding the ideal relationship between pork production and the environment.
Their operations were evaluated on their manure management systems, water and soil conservation practices, odor-control strategies, farm aesthetics and neighbor relations, wildlife habitat promotion, innovative ideas used to protect the environment and an essey on the meaning of environmental stewardship.
"Once again, the winners of this prestigious award consist of yet another great group of pork producers," said Lynn Harrison, chair of the Environmental Stewards selection subcommittee and former president of the National Pork Board, in a press release. "The 2011 Stewards are real-world examples of how producers demonstrate the "We Care" principles every day as natural protectors of the environment and as good neighbors in their communities."
The Knoebels will receive the recognition of their peers at the 2012 National Pork Industry Forum in March in Denver, Colo.
