As the world celebrates Earth Day, the Pork Checkoff is releasing a new video, in partnership with Meredith AgriMedia, showcasing how pig farmers are using cutting-edge technology to make their farms even more sustainable. The video is available here.

Pig farmers are committed to safeguarding natural resources. As farmers, their livelihoods are tied to the land, and they understand their responsibility to protect the environment.

Respect for the Earth and its natural resources is part of the nation's agricultural heritage - and they are dedicated to preserving that legacy.

Research shows that America's pork producers have made huge improvements in environmental management over the last 50 years.

The research project - titled A 50-Year Comparison of the Carbon Footprint and Resource Use of the US Swine Herd: 1959 to 2009 - found that modern pork production methods have led to a 35 per cent decrease in the carbon footprint, a 41 per cent reduction in water usage and a 78 per cent drop in land needed to produce a pound of pork compared with a 1959 baseline.