Farmers use soil sampling to care for their land

Farmers rely heavily on the health of their soil, not just for a successful crop, but for the sustainability of their farm. Protecting the soil is an important part of being a good farmer.

Testing soil: One way to ensure that soil is healthy is to take soil samples.

Taking soil samples: Farmers use a soil probe into the ground 4-8 inches to retrieve a core of soil. The sample is then put into a plastic bucket (metal or galvanized buckets may result in incorrect sample results). 12-15 cores of soil will need to be taken across the area being tested to get the most complete understanding of the soil. Once all the samples have been taken and mixed in a bucket, they will be packaged into special boxes to be sent to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

How often is soil sampled?: North Carolina hog farmers are required, by law, to take soil samples every three years, but many farmers take them annually.

What is being tested?: For hog farms, the main thing being tested is phosphorous levels and heavy metals like zinc and copper. The test also tells farmers the PH and nutrients of the soil. All this lets farmers know what the soil needs to grow crops (e.g. lime, fertilizer, etc.). Farmers only put enough nutrients on the field as can be absorbed to prevent run-off, reduce costs, and grow the best quality crops possible.

Soil is a farmer’s most precious asset, and they are deeply connected to it. Soil sampling is just one practice that farmers employ to protect the health of the land they care for.

Truth, be damned: Demographics of who lives near NC hog farms

You’ve heard us say it many times before — repeat a lie often enough and people will believe it. The Fayetteville Observer is the latest media outlet to fall victim to spreading false allegations about North Carolina’s hog farms and the people who live near them with no regard for the facts.

In a recent story about the opposition to renewable natural gas projects, the Observer repeats a long-debunked claim from activist: that hog farms “are located in or around communities made up of mostly Black, Hispanic or Latino and Native American people."

It’s a claim that fits neatly into the narrative of environmental racism, but there’s one small problem: it’s simply not true.

The state’s four leading hog producing counties are Sampson, Duplin, Bladen and Wayne counties. Click on the links and take a look at the demographics of those communities. A majority of the population is white.

In Sampson and Duplin counties, the state’s two largest hog producing counties and the communities closest to the Align RNG project, white residents outnumber black residents by a margin of nearly 2-to-1. 

This data is consistent with a study commissioned several years ago by the NC Pork Council to examine the demographics around every permitted hog farm in the state. The study found that 68% of hog farms in North Carolina are in areas where black residents make up 30 percent or fewer of the population.

The chart below shows who lives near our hog farms:

We shared this information with the reporter, to no avail. NC Farm Families will continue sharing the facts about our farms and highlighting the proven environmental benefits of biogas projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and general renewable energy.

Pig farmers reduce environmental impact | Activists push back

Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are a national (and global) concern, with blame being directed everywhere from fossil fuels to cow farts. Included in the blame game, at least in North Carolina, are pig farms.

Terms like “toxic,” “polluters,” and “cesspools” have been used to describe pig farms in North Carolina. According to activists, they really have a problem with how we handle manure. They view the lagoon and spray field system as an “antiquated” method that needs to be abolished. Activists have sued over “odor” and effectively shut down several farms. In these lawsuits, they never requested a change in the system (just millions of dollars) but did highlight alternatives that could be implemented.

Fast forward to recent months. Farmers have been working together with Dominion Energy and Smithfield Foods to implement years of research to cover lagoons, capture methane, and turn it into renewable natural gas, which in turn, produces electricity. Note, this was one of the alternatives encouraged by activists in court. Now they oppose it, with claims that it may make things worse.

Confused? Get ready to become more so.

Greenhouse gas emissions in America are caused by several things, the least of these, though is agriculture. According to the EPA, only 10% of GHG are caused by agriculture, with less than 4% caused by livestock. Swine emissions come in at a whopping .4% of total GHG emissions. That’s less than half of a percent.

Yet, .4% is not low enough. They want you to stop eating bacon for four-tenths of the total GHG emissions. Seriously.

Even so, hog farmers and the pork industry are actively working together to reduce that less than half a percent even further.

It gets better. According to the EPA, emissions can be reduced by:

• Controlling the way manure decomposes to reduce nitrous oxide and methane emissions.

• Capturing methane from manure decomposition to produce renewable energy.

• Storing manure in anaerobic lagoons to maximize methane production and then capturing the methane to use as an energy substitute for fossil fuels.

Did you catch that? The EPA suggests capturing methane to produce renewable energy—the exact thing pig farmers are trying to do in North Carolina. But activists still oppose this EPA-recommended tactic. The EPA says, “Capturing methane and using it as an energy sources has a positive impact on the environment, as it avoids methane emissions and displaces conventional fossil fuels.”

Do you know what else the EPA recommends to reduce GHG emissions? “Fertilizing crops with the appropriate amount of nitrogen required for optimal crop production.” North Carolina pig farmers are required to test the nitrogen content of the manure they spread on crops before application to make sure they are not just following North Carolina regulations, but also following EPA recommendations.

The bottom line: activists are blaming us for GHG emissions, while also preventing us from reducing our impact. (We’re confused, too.)

What we do know is that farmers have been doing more with less for a long time. The U.S. swine industry has decreased emissions by 18% since 1990, largely in part because of their determination to always improve and willingness to adopt new technology. Over the past 17 years, North Carolina hog farmers have significantly increased their feed efficiency, resulting in reductions of nutrient content in manure lagoons at farms by 35%-78% and ammonia level reductions of 22%-54%, according to NPPC.

Let’s stop blaming pig farmers (or any farmers) for being the cause of all the GHG emissions. You know the old saying — when you point a finger at someone, there’s three more pointing back at you.

Activists should remember that, especially when flying around in their airplanes to take photos of pig farms. Transportation is the largest contributor to GHG emissions in America and aircraft rank near the top of the list. Who’s the real polluter here?