U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) is releasing a new video series highlighting environmental stewardship on poultry and egg farms. The first video in the series features one of USPOULTRY’s 2014 Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award winners, Bar G Ranch Poultry, in Rogers, Texas.

Bar G Ranch Poultry, owned and operated by Darrell and Shannon Glaser, consists of 500 acres in which turkeys are raised on behalf of Cargill Turkey Production, LLC. The farm also raises cattle and produces forage. Recognizing the potential environmental benefits of litter as an organic fertilizer, Darrell and Shannon added four turkey brooder houses from 1994 to 1996 with the expectation that it would help them save a struggling farm that had been in the family for over 100 years. As hoped, the litter produced by the turkey operation, coupled with responsible management of nutrients in the litter, has restored productivity to the pasture and forage land to a level that now supports a beef cattle operation as well.

Bar G Ranch Poultry was one of six family farms awarded USPOULTRY’s 2014 Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award for exemplary environmental stewardship by family farms engaged in poultry and egg production. The Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award winners were rated in several categories, including dry litter or liquid manure management, nutrient management planning, community involvement, wildlife enhancement techniques, innovative nutrient management techniques and participation in education or outreach programs. Applications were reviewed and farm visits conducted by a team of environmental professionals from universities, regulatory agencies and state poultry associations.