Sustainability
Five Rivers views sustainability
as a way of life
The three pillars of sustainability – Environmental, Social and Economic – are not just buzz words or glossy brochures, but fundamental cornerstones of our business. Sustainability is engrained in our business heritage. Our roots have a rich history that includes some of the entrepreneurs and dedicated men and women who pioneered today’s cattle feeding business model. Five Rivers is a beacon today because of our relentless pursuit of environmental excellence, social responsibility and economic prosperity. No one pillar is more important than the other and all three pillars are essential for sustaining a heritage for future generations.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Agriculture has long recognized that to be sustainable, there must be a symbiotic relationship with the environment. Five Rivers recognizes the importance of this relationship and is continuously pursuing opportunities that promote not only good animal husbandry but ecosystem health through collaboration with university researchers and partnerships with fellow agricultural organizations.
Five Rivers is a major supporter of AgNext, a research collaborative that works with members of the entire livestock value chain to produce new solutions that move the industry toward a sustainable future. Our investment in AgNext leverages our ability for the benefit of industry to achieve continuous improvement.
Five Rivers is a charter member of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. The USRSB is a multi-stakeholder initiative developed to advance, support and communicate continuous improvement in sustainability of the U.S. beef value chain.
Five Rivers is partnering with Colorado State University on innovative manure management practices. This collaboration will enable Five Rivers to further refine manure management practices and technologies. Our goal is to turn our byproduct into a renewable fuel in addition to a high-quality organic fertilizer.
social
Five Rivers is committed to supporting our local, rural communities, agribusinesses and fellow beef industry organizations. Our feedyards are a significant part of the local economy and we are honored to support the communities in which we live and work. Further, Five Rivers contributes money, beef, employee time and leadership to a large number of schools, youth, civic and community activities.
Five Rivers is one of the founding organizations of Beef Sticks for Backpacks, a program that feeds children facing food insecurity on the weekends. With the support of our organization and the employees, Beef Sticks for Backpacks is distributing more than 15,000 sticks a week in seven counties throughout Colorado.
Five Rivers is a founding member and leader of the Beef Alliance whose mission is to drive positive change while enhancing transparency and stewardship to ensure the cattle feeding industry remains sustainable. Beef Alliance tackled the issue of educating their membership and others about the judicious use of antibiotics in cattle production and set aggressive goals concerning the reduction of antibiotics fed to beef cattle.
Five Rivers employees mentor and coach FFA, 4-H and other members of youth organizations. Our feedyards are a significant part of the local economy where we live, and we are honored to support the agricultural community in which we live and work, with a focus on youth.
Five Rivers is active on social media, sharing the beef production story. In addition, we spotlight our dedicated men and women who work hard every day to provide the safest, most nutrient dense, best-tasting protein in the world.
ECONOMICS
Profitability is the key enabler for environmental excellence and social responsibility. Financial resources are required to establish the controls and monitoring systems that ensure our natural resources are protected, team members are compensated and given the tools they need to work safely and effectively. Five Rivers’ business model has empowered individuals throughout the organization to look for efficiencies and opportunities to improve our collective economic viability.
