Salisbury, Md. (Wednesday, October 18, 2023) — The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Alliance), in partnership with the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Perdue Farms, announces a new initiative to support conservation practice implementation on poultry farms throughout Pennsylvania. This work is funded by a $1 million Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction grant awarded to the Alliance from NFWF. Perdue has also committed $300,000 to the initiative.

“At Perdue, our responsibility as good environmental stewards includes partnering with various stakeholders to preserve and protect our natural resources,” said Drew Getty, vice president of environmental sustainability at Perdue Farms. “This partnership with the Alliance, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, and our farm partners, who are some of the best stewards of the environment, is a great example of collaboration to enhance the quality of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

Poultry farmers have been transparent about their needs and barriers to conservation work. This project intends to break down one of the greatest barriers by providing financial and technical support to up to 80 of Perdue’s poultry farmers in Pennsylvania.

Rather than focusing on improving one aspect of an operation, this project prioritizes full-farm conservation. This approach considers a full spectrum of solutions to balance environmental concerns while also meeting the operational and economic needs of the farmer. As part of this project, the funding will provide and leverage cost-share dollars to install approximately 36 conservation practices, such as manure stacking and mortality composting sheds, riparian forest buffers, and vegetative environmental buffers (also known as windbreaks or shelterbelts). Various additional on-farm conservation work, such as stormwater management, soil health, and crop field practices, will also be a part of this collaboration. These practices will greatly improve the environmental footprint of Perdue’s supply chain by providing benefits for cleaner water and air, increasing biodiversity, improving animal welfare, and mitigating climate change.

“Perdue is an industry leader in environmental sustainability. Our work will support more farmers in accessing critical technical and financial support for on-farm improvements,” said Brittany Smith, Pennsylvania agriculture projects manager at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. “We hope to serve as a model for other poultry integrators throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond.”

This project is part of the Alliance’s Corporate Sustainability Initiative. Since 2017, the Alliance has worked alongside agricultural supply chain corporations, like Turkey Hill Dairy, The Hershey Company, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative, Land O’Lakes, and their farm providers to accelerate conservation efforts throughout supply chains in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This approach allows farms to increase long-term sustainability while elevating environmental standards throughout the agricultural industry.

There are more than 10,000 poultry farms in Pennsylvania, making it one of the top five commodities in the state’s agriculture. Lancaster County alone ranks fourth (out of 3,079 counties nationwide) in poultry production. In comparison, Pennsylvania dairy milk production ranks 10th in the nation. The volume of farms is significant in targeting specific solutions to increase overall farmer footprints within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Alliance is eager to begin working with Perdue Farms to increase accessibility to conservation funding and to support poultry farmers across the watershed. Follow along at allianceforthebay.org/CorporateSustainability.

About Perdue Farms

We’re a fourth-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.

The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE® brand, Niman Ranch®, Coleman Natural®, and Yummy®, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms® and Full Moon®, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores, and our direct-to-consumer 14website, PerdueFarms.com. 

Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.  

Now in our company’s second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com.

About the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Since 1971, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has served as the ‘backbone’ for action-oriented impact and collaboration across our watershed.

With four strategically placed offices and four focused programs, we’re positioned to solve downstream problems with upstream solutions. Through boots-on-the-ground solutions, technical assistance, and expertise, we prevent pollution where it begins – on the land – before it reaches our rivers and the Chesapeake.

By collaborating with like-minded individuals and organizations, the Alliance becomes a catalyst, building the capacity of others to join and accelerate clean water in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.