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We are committed to conducting the operations of Tyson Foods
in a manner which respects and preserves the natural resources of the areas
in which we live and work.
The people of Tyson Foods have always been
fortunate to live and work in some of the most beautiful and scenic areas
of our country. It's a privilege we don't take lightly, because we know
it will take all of our efforts to keep tomorrow's world as beautiful as
the one we enjoy today.
To this end, Tyson operates its facilities with the latest technology, while
we work with other companies to develop and implement new environmental
advances as they become available. Our breakthroughs in organic
farming, residual product recycling, water purification, and energy
conservation have set the standards in the poultry industry. We are
committed to producing the high-quality food products America has come to
depend upon, while we recognize our responsibility to be good corporate
citizens in the communities in which we work, live, and play.
Organic Farming
When Tyson growers prepare their chicken houses for use, rice hulls and/or
wood shavings are laid down as bedding material. Typical growers will clean
out their houses once a year and use the organic material, which is still
60-70 percent bedding, as organic fertilizer.
To be sure this organic fertilizer is properly applied, Tyson engineers,
working with government experts, developed the "Best Management Practices"
as a guideline for the use of chicken litter. To maximize crop growth without
harming the environment, the practices recommend a specific amount of this
fertilizer per acre depending on the farmer's land area, soil type, crop
to be grown, type of litter to be used, and nitrate/phosphate concentration
per ton.
The guidelines are also used to determine how far from water supplies the
fertilizer should be applied to retain the purity of ground and surface
water. Both environmentally sound and inexpensive, chicken-litter fertilizer
is a welcome alternative to chemical fertilizer, the only other acceptable
option for higher crop yields.
Residual Products Recycling
The normal on-farm poultry mortality rate before harvest is approximately
three percent. This means our typical grower must handle more than 16,000
pounds of dead chickens annually.
To keep these birds out of our environment, Tyson is experimenting with
providing our growers freezers to freeze the birds until they can be picked
up later. Freezing prevents bacteria growth and preserves protein value
for when the birds are recycled in Tyson plants such as the River Valley
Residual Products facility in Scranton, Arkansas.
At River Valley, dead birds make up only a small part of the nearly 30 million
pounds of chicken and hog residual products a week, from farms and Tyson
production facilities, that are recycled into feed-grade products for poultry
feed, cattle feed, and pet food ingredients. With state-of-the-art facilities
such as this, Tyson recycles what was once considered waste into useful
products, while helping to preserve the environment at the same time.
Watching Our Water
Water purification, conservation, and efficient recycling are recurring
themes in the Tyson world, where nearly $200 million in capital outlay has
been spent in the last five years for wastewater treatment. Concern about
the purity of our water is not new for Tyson. Many of our 52 pre-treatment
and full-treatment plants were in place long before local governments began
regulating water quality.
One example of this commitment is our plant in Temperanceville, Virginia,
where there are few state regulations for reducing levels of nitrates, phosphorus,
ammonia, and other components in wastewater. After treatment, our plant's
wastewater is so pure it's used to refill the plant's aquarium, where fish
echo the aquatic life which exists in Virginia's waters.
More than 23 million gallons of water a day are treated in Tyson's water
treatment plants. It's this commitment from companies such as Tyson Foods
that will assure future generations an ample supply of fresh, clean water.
Energy Conservation
Tyson Foods is continually looking for ways in which our operations
can function more energy-efficiently.
Recently we signed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
to participate in EPA's Green Lights
program to replace existing lighting with new energy-efficient lighting
in Tyson-owned plants, feed, mills, hatcheries, and offices throughout the
United States.
By participating in this program, Tyson is expected to save 85 million KWh
of electricity per year, resulting in $4 million savings annually. This
will prevent more than 57 thousand tons of carbon dioxide, 40 thousand pounds
of nitrogen oxide, and 97 thousand pounds of sulfur dioxide from entering
the environment each year. Translated to real terms, that's equivalent to
planting more than 21 thousand acres of trees per year or removing more
than 10 thousand cars a year from the road.
Energy conservation is a win-win process, benefiting not only the environment
but also Tyson's bottom line. |