As I am typing this it is a beautiful 26 degrees outside and seeding in this area is over eighty per cent complete. Now all we need is some much required rain.
Producers are very excited with the recent announcement of the final rejected appeal on COOL. Now the U.S. has to take a hard look at their decisions or face retaliatory tariffs on a wide range of U.S. imports from our Country will start, and rightly so. Check out this edition for extensive coverage
In two weeks, from when I am penning this Arlene and I will be in Red Deer for the 41st Alberta Pork Congress. Be sure to pop by my usual corner to say hi and get your name in for the door prize draws. Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of meeting with representatives from two of the award categories at the upcoming Alberta Pork Congress Awards Banquet. Thanks to all of them for being candid with my many questions and an early congratulations to each of the recipients in all three awards. Also exciting will be the announcement of the Olymel Reach For The Top Awards, usually a tight race.
Manitoba Pork Council handed out their industry awards recently, congratulations to Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association, accepted by Dr. Blaine Tully and Karl Kynoch.
Thanks to the many producers who took the time to fill out and return the Prairie Hog Country annual readership survey, it is much appreciated. We will have all the results tabulated and published in the August / September edition. I am looking forward to reading through them all. I will have the binder with me at Alberta Pork Congress of the surveys.
It is also photo contest time, so get your cameras ready. Snap some good pictures and send them in. You can email (only high resolution) or mail a hard copy. The winners will be announced in the next issue and we will keep accepting more for possible inclusion in the 2016 Prairie Hog Country Calendar. At every trade show I attend producers rave about how much they enjoy the calendar, so keep the pictures coming.
Over the last couple of months I am reminded of the strength of many people, both personally and professionally. On a personal level a few that I know have been faced with unforeseeable tragedies and devastating news, their focus and faith has helped them through. Professionally, producers continue to work hard and try to make their farms be the best they can be.
I thought I was one of the only ones who plans way ahead, but I had a call from a client who was trying to verify my 2016 release dates. As I explained to her, I will confirm them within the next month or so, however they usually never fluctuate year to year by more than a week depending on shows and seminars. I am already as excited for 2016 as that will the 20th year of Prairie Hog Country, so as one gentleman told me recently “guess you are no longer the new kid on the block, and are here to stay.” In short yes I and Prairie Hog Country are here and staying!
Thinking about Brenda this week as she has surgery, she is on leave facing some medical issues and I look forward to her return just in time for Banff Pork Seminar 2016.
As always I am only a phone call or email away. Prairie Hog Country, Box 5536, Leduc, Alberta T9E 2A1, 780.986.0962, fax 780.980.9640 or email:
hogcountry@shaw.ca
Talk to you in August.