According to a report from the US's National Pork Board, a new partnership between USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farmers for Soil Health (FSH) could help pork producers reduce their environmental footprint.

The partnership was awarded a $1 million grant to advance adoption of soil conservation practices on farms.

FSH is a farmer-led, farmer-funded initiative that will help producers plant cover crops on 30 million acres of soybeans and corn by 2030 to improve overall soil health. FSH is a joint effort of NPB, National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board.

Pork producers can measure their cover crop adoption by using On-Farm Sustainability Reports, which are available at no additional cost to them to help document and improve their on-farm sustainability efforts, said the report.

“Nearly one-half of pork’s environmental footprint comes from the corn and soybeans that are fed to pigs,” said Steve Rommereim, past president of NPB. “Sustainable pork production begins with sustainably grown feed. The FSH initiative will support the environmental stewardship on row-crop acres, ultimately helping pork producers meet their sustainability goals.”