If the number of people turning up for fall meetings can be considered an indicator, then optimism and a keen eye to the future are rising among Alberta’s pork producers and processors.
The 17th-annual Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop on Oct. 21 broke its attendance record with 279 people registered, while Alberta Pork’s Annual General meeting in Calgary on Nov. 5 drew a little more than 200 people, its strongest turnout since 2010.
In his report to producers, AP Chairman Frank Novak addressed key factors affecting the industry in 2015.
“Markets have been volatile, but generally better than we may have expected earlier in the year,” Novak wrote within the organization’s annual report.
“While our feed costs are still higher than we hoped, there appears to be a workable supply situation on that front.”
Novak highlighted four key issues that he feels are challenging the industry; Domestic markets and trade, societal pressures, competitiveness and working with industry partners.
One of the key presentations at AP’s 2015 meeting was a report from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry on a farm safety poll conducted by safety co-ordinator Nicole Hornett at Red Deer Swine Tech and presented during the AGM in Calgary.
Workers were asked what is the first thing on their minds when they go to work?
“The workers are saying that the very first thing that they think about is getting the work updates,” said Hornett.
“They want to know what’s happening in the barn, what do I need to be doing today?
“So, when I see that, from a safety point of view, I think; Well, this is a really great time to include a very short and timely safety message.”
Workers were then asked how well they feel knowing the hazards they may face on the farm and in the barn.
“The majority of people felt that they know the hazards very well,” said Hornett.
While that is good, it does not mean managers and owners can be complacent, she said.
“It just means that we can keep those conversations going.”
The chemical hazard of most concern to workers was the manure pit, said Hornett.
“How can we make that safer? Can we eliminate it? Is there something we can do to change it – maybe something like hiring and expert to conduct repairs and do maintenance, so shifting that exposure from the workers. Can we install gas monitoring devices . . . something that’s working to protect the workers.”
Workers were then asked about psychosocial hazards, affecting their mental and emotional health. Of highest concern among the respondents was the effects of the lack of staff, leading to working alone and working longer hours.
Other concerns included language barriers, bullying, emotional abuse and the distress from dealing with livestock deaths.
“I hear the staffing woes. This is something that is not new to any of you. Is there a chance to hire more staff? If not, is there something we can do like installing and alarm system or panic device?”
Workers rated safety training at an average of 6.9 on a scale from 0 to 10.
“So, the majority of workers are feeling very good about their on-the-job safety training,” said Hornett.
“But there’s always room to improve, to bring that up to the 10,” she said.
“We know that one of the ways to control safety on our farms is through administrative controls like training. We know that safety training does not need to happen in a classroom or take a lot of your time to be effective.”
She offered a practical training program that takes just a few minutes. The Canadian Agriculture Safety Association has produced a set of 40 information sheets offering ways to improve safety on the farm.
“If you did one a week, that’s 40 weeks worth of on-the-job safety training you could provide to your workers in three to five minutes a week,” said Hornett.
She called upon producers and their workers to be aware of and deal with hazards in their barns, offering a hierarchy of control starting with eliminating or substituting the hazard, through engineering changes and administrative controls.
Earlier on, at RDSTW, Sunhaven Farms’ finishing co-ordinator Laurie Fries, a former hog production instructor at Lakeland College, gave some pointers on spotting costly hazards hidden in plain sight.
“Back to basics, hands on, what works for me, what can you do, what should you look at or in at during certain situations. I’m going to step through a few things that I think are important, down on the ground,” said Fries (pronounced freeze, not fries).
Many problems in the barn relate directly to human factors, she said.
“I find it always is easy to point the finger at everybody else. You never want to stand up and say, you know, it might be me.
“A lot of our problems . . . might be because we are causing those problems.”
There are differences from farm to farm, but all have buildings, equipment and people and all are frugal with their costs of production, she said.
People become accustomed to their daily routine at work and also have a life after work.
She took people through the process of paying close attention to what’s happening in their barns and being aware of potential problems.
“Open your eyes and look at your barn when you’re driving into your facility instead of thinking what you did the night before,” said Fries, showing pictures of a beautifully kept facility, well organized and carefully maintained.
She then showed some realities, including open lids on feed bins, gaps in chicken wire meant to keep pigeons from entering the barn, broken vents, inadequate ladders, leaking bin feeds and so on.
Taking her tour inside the barn, she pointed out a problem that indicates to her the amount of care and attention being paid to details: An empty toilet roll.
“How close to details are you looking at if you can’t even reach up above you and replace the last square?” she said.
“So, I came out of there and I showered in, and I said, hey Jack, did you eat today? He said yeah. If you eat, you have to poop. Guys, replace your toilet paper roll.”
Fries then had a friend come up and demonstrate the effects of someone doing their job with headphones in their ears.
“How much attention is somebody paying to the fans that are running, the feed system is the one shaking it. And, there may be a pig or two in distress. How do you do a herd health check or manage your facilities if you can’t hear your environment?”
She asked people to use their senses and listen to their herd.
Fries also advised producers on the use of signs in their barns. She recalled driving past the same sign for nine years without noticing it, because it never changed. She said signs posted inside the barn should be changed out frequently and in ways that will attract attention rather than blending into the background.
The key to getting pigs off to a good start is paying attention to the feeders and waterers, making immediate adjustments and repairs if they’re not working properly, she said.
“Get familiar with your feed systems, take care with your feed systems. Otherwise, you better get familiar with five-gallon pail systems.”
She said she has been there and done that, and it’s a big problem when you’re dealing with 4,000 market-weight pigs.
It’s also important to look up. Feed on the floor where there shouldn’t be is a sign of a leakage overhead, said Fries.
Prolapse, tail bites, pot belly, sours, fighting and aggression and sudden deaths are among the troubles producers will encounter if their pigs are not getting adequate feed and water throughout their waking hours.
“If you have a feed outage for more than 24 hours, you’re going to start affecting those pigs. Think about you. If you didn’t eat for a while, you’re probably going to start bucking it,” said Fries.
She advised producers to also be aware of the temperature in the barn.
Fries wrapped her coveralls around her waist to expose her bare arms, thus using her own senses to determine if there is a ventilation problem.
“Keep your eyes and ears open and let these guys tell you what is wrong and right.
“Everything will tell you a story. Your facilities are going to tell you a story, if you’re willing to learn,” said Fries.
“You need to look up and look around. Use your senses, be practical. Let the pigs tell you a story. Let the facilities tell you a story.”
Fries credited nutritionists Frank Aherne and Jim Gowans – who helped found the RDSTW – for teaching her to follow the basics and pay attention to detail.
In his remarks to the AP AGM, Novak said producers must manage the challenges they face, converting some of them into opportunities.
“In Alberta, our industry continues to support thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of economic activity,” he wrote.
“We need to loudly promote the contribution our industry makes to the Alberta economy every year.”
At the close of the AGM, executive director Darcy Fitzgerald said he hoped everybody learned something about farm safety.
“If it saves a finger or a life or whatever, that’s positive and we just have to keep thinking that way,” said Fitzgerald.
Novak closed the meeting with a quote from baseball hall-of-famer Yogi Bera: “When it comes to a fork in the road, take it.”
“This is a description of what our lives our like on a regular basis. If you find a fork in the road, take one and you’ll find out after the fact if it was the right one or not,” said Novak.
The swine industry faces a number of challenges, with no idea how they will work out, he said. However, there are a number of people who are not afraid to take the chance of trying something different.
“We have to try different things and then we’ll find out whether or not they worked. The status quo is not acceptable. It’s a recipe for disaster,” said Novak. •
— By PHC Staff
