The award, co-sponsored by the Pork Checkoff and National Hog Farmer magazine, is now in its 17th year and recognises producers who demonstrate a firm commitment to safeguarding the environment and their local communities.

This year's award recipients are:

• Golden Circle Pork of Woodward, Iowa
• John M. Langdon Farms of Benson, North Carolina
• Wuebker Farms of Versailles, Ohio, and
• Cleveland Pork of Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

The Environmental Steward award winners were selected by judges represented by pork producers and environmental organisations. 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, odour-control strategies, farm aesthetics and neighbour relations, wildlife habitat promotion, innovative ideas used to protect the environment and an essay on the meaning of environmental stewardship.

Lynn Harrison, chair of the Environmental Stewards selection sub-committee and former president of the National Pork Board, said: "Once again, the winners of this prestigious award consist of yet another great group of pork producers. 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 neighbours in their communities."

The award recipients will receive the recognition of their peers at the 2012 National Pork Industry Forum next March in Denver, Colorado.