Smithfield Foods Collaboration with Environmental Defense Fund and Roeslein Alternative Energy Helps Bring Monarch Butterflies Back in Large Numbers

Partnership restores prairie, supports largest monarch migration in 10 years and new revenue model for generating clean, renewable energy

Photos: Dropbox folder to download photos of monarch butterflies, prairie habitat, biogas facilities, hog farms and various experts (no credit necessary).

Video: YouTube video: Three unlikely allies are innovating to save the monarch butterfly; Dropbox folder to download video, b-roll and interview clips (no credit necessary).

SMITHFIELD, Va., Nov. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. is the first food company to participate in a new program with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE) to restore key prairie habitat for monarch butterflies, as described in this video. Their efforts are helping bring back the iconic insect, which has experienced a 95 percent population decline since the 1980s and could be listed as a threatened species in June 2019. However, the monarch is currently undergoing what is anticipated to be the largest migration in 10 years.

“We’re excited about the potential of this unique partnership to support recovery of the beloved monarch butterfly and other pollinators that rely on healthy prairie habitat,” said David Wolfe, director of conservation strategies at EDF. “In addition to providing habitat for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife, this program offers multiple other environmental and financial benefits. The economic savings come from the benefits prairies have for helping hold water and nitrogen in the soil, and reducing potential waste. There are also added revenue opportunities that come from appropriately timed harvesting of the prairie for biomass that can be used for biogas generation of clean, natural gas.”

Attracted to the program’s dual benefits, Smithfield contributed $300,000 to fund the planting of native grasses and monarch-friendly native milkweed and wildflower species on 1,000 acres of land on and surrounding its hog farm in Missouri.

“We recognize that prairie is both an environmental and economic force,” said Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables for Smithfield Foods. “While helping to protect the environment surrounding our farms, prairie is creating a new revenue opportunity as an alternative source of clean, renewable energy.”

Since the 1990s, Smithfield has explored ways to transform hog manure into renewable energy. Smithfield recently announced the nationwide expansion of these efforts through Smithfield Renewables, a platform that unifies, leads, and accelerates the company’s carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts, while helping meet its industry-leading goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2025. In Missouri, the food company has worked with RAE since 2014 to transform manure into renewable natural gas and is now looking to prairie grass as an alternative feedstock, particularly useful during the winter months.

“Generating energy from manure, prairie, or other biomass is pretty simple,” said Rudi Roeslein, founder and president of RAE. “Manure is captured in the underfloor of the hog buildings where scrapers are used to move and flush waste to an anaerobic digester or a covered lagoon, where anaerobic digestion takes place and solids are broken down to release methane gas that is transported to a central processing facility to be converted into renewable natural gas. Harvested prairie is used to supplement hog manure as an alternative source of energy. Prior to harvest, native prairie and cover crops provide an essential ecological service as critical habitat for pollinators and wildlife. This is an exciting new vision for renewable energy production.”

Together, Smithfield, EDF, and RAE are creating a compelling ecological and financial model for the growth and management of native prairie across the agricultural landscape. Ultimately, the unlikely collaborators are working to achieve a more resilient and ecologically diverse agricultural landscape.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield^®, Eckrich^®, Nathan’s Famous^®, Farmland^®, Armour^®, Farmer John^®, Kretschmar^®, John Morrell^®, Cook’s^®, Gwaltney^®, Carando^®, Margherita^®, Curly’s^®, Healthy Ones^®, Morliny^®, Krakus^®, and Berlinki^®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading international nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and our Growing Returns blog.

About Roeslein Alternative Energy
Roeslein Alternative Energy was founded in 2012 as an operator and developer of renewable energy production facilities that converts agricultural and industrial wastes, along with renewable biomass feedstocks to renewable natural gas and sustainable co-products. RAE engages in these business operations with a focus on incorporating native prairie restoration. RAE is a limited liability corporation with its principal office located in St. Louis, Missouri. To find out more, please visit www.roesleinae.com.

Contact:

Lisa Martin
Smithfield Foods, Inc.
(757) 365-1980
lvmartin@smithfield.com

Chandler Clay
Environmental Defense Fund
(202) 572-3312
cclay@edf.org

A video accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c3e65686-011a-4806-aef5-3548ae5cb583