The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) released a fifth video in their series covering environmental stewardship on poultry and egg farms. This video features one of USPOULTRY’s Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award winners, Riverhill Farms, of Port Republic, Va.

Riverhill Farms, owned and operated by Glenn and Sheri Rodes and their family, raises turkeys, dairy and beef cattle, corn and forage. The operation is home to five turkey barns, and the Rodes raise 280,000 turkeys per flock for Cargill Turkey Production.

“We are a family that has been farming for generations. While the past is interesting, the future is exciting. Searching for new or better ways to farm not only helps us now, it keeps the next generation engaged and interested in farming,” said Glenn Rodes.

Their location in the Shenandoah Valley causes soil phosphorus levels to elevate easily, making nutrient management a challenge that the Rodes family has conquered with great success. The farm uses poultry litter and other combustible material as a fuel source in a biomass burner that generates hot water, which flows through pipes in the floor of the turkey houses to keep the turkeys warm during the winter months.

The Rodes’ have a passion for identifying alternate fuel sources, and they have built a small operation that manufactures biodiesel from canola and soybeans grown on their farm. The biodiesel generated on the farm is used to fuel tractors and other farm equipment, and the byproducts generated during the manufacture of biodiesel are recycled as feed for the cattle raised on Riverhill Farms.

“USPOULTRY and our members know the significance of exemplary environmental stewardship. We are pleased to be able to provide this video series highlighting the environmental efforts of our family farmers,” commented Paul Hill, West Liberty Foods, and USPOULTRY chairman.