Sanderson Farms Recognized for Water Conservation Efforts

LAUREL, Miss. – March 18, 2014 – Sanderson Farms, Inc. has recently been recognized for its water conservation efforts at one of the company’s Texas-based poultry complexes located in Bryan, Texas. The Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District (BVGCD), which services the groundwater resources of Brazos and Robertson counties, awarded the poultry producer the Industrial Groundwater Conservationist of the Year award for the company’s efforts to reduce their operation’s impact on district aquifers. The award was presented to Sanderson Farms’ Brazos county processing facility during a Bryan City Council meeting earlier this month.

According to BVGCD officials, Sanderson Farms has concentrated on water conservation and the implementation of technology that would reduce its dependence on groundwater since 2008. Between 2008 and 2013, the company witnessed a 42 percent decrease in the amount of groundwater usage derived from the Simsboro aquifer, which is a formation of the much larger Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer that provides water to all or parts of 60 counties and is the primary water supply of the population of Bryan and College Station, Texas. By installing innovative new equipment designed to conserve water usage and incorporate reuse wherever possible, Sanderson Farms was able to reduce their water footprint by nearly 273 million gallons last year.

“The Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District applauds the efforts of Sanderson Farms’ management and employees to conserve and preserve our groundwater and for their monumental example of stewardship of a precious natural resource,” said Alan Day, general manager of the BVGCD.

In 2010, Sanderson Farms formally launched a Corporate Responsibility Program deliberately focused on environmental and cost efficiency goals. The program’s objective is to engage all of the company’s employees to build sustainability thinking and practices into their everyday work, enabling continued freedom to innovate in a responsible way. As evidenced by the recent recognition of the company’s conservation efforts at their Brazos county processing facility, measurable progress has already been made in terms of improved energy efficiency and reduction of water usage since the program’s launch a little more than three years ago.

As the third largest poultry producer in the nation, Sanderson Farms is committed to managing their operations efficiently while protecting local communities’ vital resources and minimizing the company’s impact on the environment. Over time, the poultry producer has demonstrated its commitment to responsible stewardship of the environment by continually striving to optimize the efficiency of its operations, minimize energy and water usage, reduce waste and reuse materials wherever possible. Sanderson Farms, Inc. recognizes that, by definition, efficient operations have less impact on the environments in which they operate.