7509	FIRE-CRACKER PORK RIBS

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Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Oklahoma Pork Council oklaporkcouncil@okpork.org 405-232-3781
Seaboard Foods Wakefield Farm named 2007 Oklahoma Environmental Stewardship Award Winner
OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 27, 2007) - Seaboard Foods' Wakefield Farm has been named the 2007 Oklahoma Environmental Steward Award recipient. The award was presented on Friday, Feb. 9, at the Annual Oklahoma Pork Council (OPC) Pork Congress in Oklahoma City. "This is one of the most sophisticated swine production facilities in the country," OPC Executive Director Roy Lee Lindsey, Jr. said. "Seaboard has clearly gone above and beyond in their efforts to protect the environment and Oklahoma's precious natural resources." A committee of Oklahoma pork producers and representatives of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry chose the Wakefield Farm as this year's recipient of the prestigious award. "Recognizing and honoring farms that are dedicated to protecting and enhancing the environment is one of the biggest pleasures I experience as Secretary of Agriculture," Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach said. "Seaboard Foods' Wakefield Farm's commitment to make use of all the technologies and practices to protect soil and water quality while excelling in pork production is truly worthy of this award and serves as an example of what modern Oklahoma agriculture is all about." Wakefield Farm, owned by Seaboard Foods, is located near Beaver, Okla. The 1,200 acre farm uses some of the most sophisticated and unique agriculture technologies in the country. Its seven-stage waste treatment system is what set it apart from the rest - earning it the title of 2007 Oklahoma Environmental Steward. "This is the only farm that I know of in the country that utilizes all the different components as one system," said Don Owens, director of environmental, maintenance & construction for Seaboard Foods. The seven-stage system treats the liquid and solid waste separately, creating two non-toxic, environmentally friendly products. The liquid becomes a type of liquid fertilizer, called effluent, and is used by local farmers, and the solids are also composted into fertilizer. Seaboard Foods, like many other pork producers in Oklahoma, recognizes the importance of reducing odor and protecting the land. The system put in place at Wakefield Farm goes above and beyond the call of duty. Wakefield Farm will now be submitted to the National Pork Board as a candidate for the 2007 National Environmental Steward Award. In 2005, Treadway Ranch in McCurtain, Okla., won the Oklahoma and National award. Since 1998, Oklahoma has had six National Environmental Steward Award winners, the most of any state in the country in that time period. ###