APC AGM & GT
The Alberta Pork Congress Annual General Meeting will once again be held Wednesday September 14th in conjunction with the Annual Golf Tournament at the Trochu Golf and Country Club.
At the AGM elections will take place for new members for the Board of Directors. Once the meeting has concluded this will be the first opportunity to book your booth space for the 2017 Alberta Pork Congress Tradeshow.
The Annual General Meeting will begin at 9 am. Upon completion of the meeting and booth selections, a 9 hole shotgun start will commence at 10:30 am.
Once the round is done we will be treated to a pig roasted BBQ lunch, awards and prizes. The cost for the golf tournament is $75 each or a foursome for $275.
Call ConventionALL Management at 403.244.7821 to confirm your spot now. Check out albertaporkcongress.com for online registration. Come for just the meeting or come for the whole day. •
Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop
The program is complete for the 2016 Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop. Mark your calendars RDSTW will be held Wednesday October 19th in Red Deer at the Sheraton.
The one day workshop will begin at 8:30 with registration and program starts at 9. Once again will be a full day with interesting speakers with hands on advice.
Registration will be open soon. The rate for the one day workshop is a low $90 with five people for $400, Walk-ins or late registrations $110.
For details, information or reserve your spots contact Kimberly Nield at ConventionALL Management at 403.244.7821 or email kimberly@conventionall.com •
Aherne Awards
Do you know of an innovator who should be recognized? Someone who has developed an original solution to answer a pork production challenge? Or found a creative use of a known technology?
The Banff Pork Seminar is proud to offer a chance for you to “strut your stuff” as a technology innovator and show the rest of us how to put it into practice!
The Dr. FX Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production recognizes innovators involved in the pork industry who are making a difference by applying new technologies or management techniques.
Innovators can win valuable prizes and free registration to the 2017 Banff Pork Seminar, January 10-12; you’ll be recognized by your peers and the pork industry and have a chance to present your solution at the 2017 Banff Pork Seminar.
Please nominate yourself, or apply on behalf of an innovator that deserves to be recognized. Help us to find these innovators and encourage them to apply for the Dr. FX Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production.
Specifically, we are looking for innovators who are capable of taking a new research concept, a technology, or even a management concept and apply it successfully in the production of pork. Innovations may be related to, but are not limited to, one of the following areas: Productivity, Profitability, Working Conditions, Animal Well Being, Reduced Environmental Impact, Pork Quality and Safety.
Anyone who has developed a solution to a pork production challenge may enter. Innovations must be relevant to North American pork production but do not necessarily have to be currently in use in Canada at the time of application.
Application and more information will be available online at www.banffpork.ca. Applications must be received by October 31, 2016. Apply today! Please contact Conference Coordinator Ashely Steele at pork@ualberta.ca with questions. •
SASK Pork Symposium
Mark your calendars for the annual Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium which will take place in Saskatoon November 15 & 16th.
For more information please contact symposium co ordinator Kim Browne at 306.343.3506 or email kbrowne@saskpork.com . •
Prairie Livestock Expo
The second annual Prairie Livestock Expo will be held Wednesday December 14th in Winnipeg, MB. Similar to 2014 the Expo will welcome all areas of the livestock industry, however hogs seems to continue to be the largest represented sector.
This one day show will be at the Victoria Inn and Conference Centre adjacent the airport. Exhibitor package information will be sent out in the months to come.
For details and information contact Dallas Balance at 204.475.8585 or email dallas@goodwinballance.ca •
Banff Pork Seminar
January 10-12, 2017 will be the next installment of the annual Banff Pork Seminar, once again to take place at the Castle in the Rockies.
The draft agenda is available online at banffpork.ca Keynote speakers will include Dr Frank Mitleohner, Sandra Vijn, Terry O’Reily and Dr Jow Schwarca. Followed by many interesting breakout sessions. Thursday concludes with the ever popular Kevin Grier and Steve Meyer with a market outlook and economic update.
A block of rooms has been set aside at the Banff Springs Hotel, reserve your s today. On line registration will be open in September.
For more details or information check out Banff Pork Website at banffpork.ca or email the conference co ordinator Ashley Steele at pork@ualberta.ca or call 780.492.3651 •
Manitoba Swine Seminar
Plans are well underway for the annual Manitoba Swine Seminar, which will take place in Winnipeg February 1 & 2, 2017 at the Victoria Inn & Conference Centre.
For details or information please contact Dallas Balance at 204.475.8585 or email dallas@goodwinballance.ca •
Cramer Expo
Mark your calendars for the 7th Annual Cramer Livestock Expo. The one day show will be held in Swift Current at Kinetic park Thursday February 16th.
Exhibitor registrations will be available soon. For details and information contact show coordinator Kelly Turcotte at 306.737.6262 or email her at kelly_turcotte@hotmail.com •
Quality Based Pork Grading System Would Benefit Canada’s Pork Market
Canada Pork International says creation of a pork quality based grading system, modeled after what already exists in the beef industry, will ensure the right product is selected for right market and give Canadian pork an edge with international buyers, writes Bruce Cochrane.
Canada is a leader in the export pork world, accounting for about 17 percent of all global pork exports.
Canada Pork International, in partnership with Swine Innovation Porc, is working on the development of new tools designed to improve Canada’s competitiveness in the global pork market.
Michael Young, the Vice President Technical Programs and Marketing Services with Canada Pork International, recalls 2012 saw the creation of a Canadian Pork Quality Standard, which includes standards for meat color, marbling ratios and fat color and the next step will be to develop a quality based grading system that would reduce inconsistencies in quality selection and move the right product into the right market. Michael Young-Canada Pork International:
Fundamentally what we’re seeing is the segments now are becoming a little more pronounced. Further processors, they want lean products that don’t have as much marbling so to speak.
Retailers would like something that has a little more marbling so that there’s more flavor and the food service operators, of course, they would like more heavily marbled products because that’s where the flavor is.
We’re seeing an opportunity for different grades of pork for different markets, similar to the way the beef industry has gone with their grading system.
These are the concepts that we’re talking about for future tools so that we can differentiate our products in all markets. Young says consistency of the quality is critical for our end user partners.
He says he is not aware of any meat quality based grading system for pork anywhere in the world, so creating such as system would allow Canada to take the lead as an innovator, be first with a meat quality based selection system and allow packers to move the right products into the right markets. •
Pig Manure May be Used as Road Pavement
A team of US researchers has been studying ways to convert elements of pig manure for making new roads.
In a press release on the website of North Carolina A&T State University, in Greensboro, NC, United States, it is reported that Prof Elle Fini and a team of researchers has found a way to extract the rich oil that is found in pig waste, and mix it with rocks to form a new type of asphalt durable enough for highway16 traffic, which they call ‘Bio-Adhesive’.
Rigorous vehicle simulators The extensive research, which has included putting samples of the new material through rigorous vehicle simulators and tests to determine its durability, has proven to be a success according to the press release. Fini and a group of partners have set up a company called Bio-Adhesive Alliance.
Fini said in the press release, “We test it to see if it will rock or sag too much because it shouldn’t do that. Also it shouldn’t crack at low temperatures. We think it’s scalable and cost wise its profitable. Our vision is to help the farmer and help the construction industry; both sides. We see a win/win solution.” Nothing goes to waste
Nearly nothing goes to waste, the press release reported. During processing, the foul, off-putting aroma is filtered out, and the by-products of the bio-adhesive can be used by farmers as fertilizer. At only $0.56 per gallon (3.8 litres) to process, Bio-Adhesive is described to be ‘an extremely viable solution to further reduce the country’s dependence on the more expensive petroleum’. The research was made possible through the support of the United States’ National Science Foundation. Source Pig Progress. •
Olymel Investing $25 Million in Pork Plant
Olymel is investing more than $25 million to expand its hog slaughterhouse and processing facility north of Montreal. The project will increase the operation’s capacity by a third to 40,000 hogs per week. Up to 200 jobs will be added to the 810 workers at the St-Esprit facility. They have agreed to extend their union contract by seven years.
Olymel’s chief executive officer, Rejean Nadeau, said the 3,250 square metre expansion will allow the meat processing company to better meet customer demand across Canada and exports, especially to China.
The St-Esprit plant produces various cuts of pork, seasoned pork products and vacuum-packed products. The expansion will add a refrigeration room to produce chilled pork.
Olymel also has operations in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan and is Canada’s largest-volume hog slaughterer. It also has significant chicken processing facilities. •
— by Jim Romahn
China Needs to Import More Pork
Floods have hit China’s hog production hard, prompting increased demand for imported pork.
Hog prices might hit record highs, say market analysts. There is also a risk of major disease outbreaks because carcasses of dead pigs in floodwaters.
Farmers are increasing slaughter, not waiting for them to meet market weights. The flooding has been in China’s central and south.
Xiong Kuan, an analyst with Beijing Orient Agri-business Consultant Ltd., says hog prices may increase from September and near the record 21 yuan ($3.15) per kilogram reached in May. Prices were at 18.34 yuan on Wednesday.
China will import a record amount of pork this year to cover a supply gap amid declining domestic production, Rabobank International said this month.
Output fell 3.9 percent in the first half of this year and the five provinces hardest hit by flooding produce about one third of the country’s pork, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. About 10,000 hogs drowned at a village in Hubei province, news portal Sina.com reported on Tuesday. Thousands of pigs were stranded in floodwaters at a village in Anhui this month, according to Southcn.com.
Flooding raises the risk of disease, according to Feng Yonghui, chief analyst at researcher Soozhu.com. “Under such extreme humid and high temperature weather, improper treatment of corpses could cause widespread disease after flood,” he said. •
— by Jim Romahn
ADM Launches New High Quality Protein Source PRO-DY
Recently ADM Animal Nutrition™, a division of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM), announced the launch of PRO-DY, a new high-quality protein source for swine nursery diets.
PRO-DY was developed to fill a need for a quality protein source with low anti-nutritional properties to help nutrient absorption and animal growth. Produced from the wet corn milling process, PRO-DY is composed of dried Saccharomyces yeast (non-active yeast), a source of highly digestible amino acids that yield economic and nutritional benefits to swine, poultry and aquaculture diets.
A recent ADM Animal Nutrition study found nursery pigs fed PRO-DY in place of fish meal and other protein ingredients at an eight percent inclusion rate during the first six weeks post weaning responded with three percent better feed efficiency.
“By including PRO-DY in a ration, nutritionists and producers can feel confident they are providing a good source of digestible amino acids that will improve returns on their feed investment,” said Dr. John Less, senior director of Nutrition and Technical Service at ADM Animal Nutrition. “PRO-DY reduces reliance on expensive and/or variable protein products which may enhance feed efficiency and reduce the cost of gain without sacrificing performance.” •
Transitioning to Antibiotic-free? Tighten up These Five Areas of Pig Production
Is 2016 the year of antibiotic-free products? After a brief look at the supermarket shelves today, many may say yes. Antibiotic-free brands, such as Open Prairie Natural Pork, Applegate Natural & Organic Meats, Farm Promise Pork and Niman Ranch, are popping up in meat counters across the US.
According to Dr. Tom Gillespie, a veterinarian with Rensselaer Swine Services, this shift in production is likely to grow and stay. “The movement has finally impacted consumer choices in the grocery stores, and ultimately the societal change has given the opportunity for independent producers and even integrators to respond by raising antibiotic-free pigs to meet this new demand,” said Gillespie.
Since production costs and health challenges can be quite different from conventionally-raised pigs, Gillespie suggests producers’ expectations need to be open to different types of challenges when raising antibiotic-free animals.
“There are numerous risks that can lead to a higher cost of production,” said Gillespie. “In order to address these issues, the producer has to reinforce biosecurity practices and implement a nutritional program that is designed to strengthen the animals’ natural immunity.”
Russell Gilliam, U.S. swine business manager at Alltech, advises his clients to focus on five key areas of production when reducing antibiotic use or making the complete transition:
• Educate your team on the health challenges your pigs are most at risk of in antibiotic-free production. Routine monitoring and developing a list of pathogens in a population is vital to the success of an antibiotic-free system.
• Re-evaluate your biosecurity. Examine herd flow, cleanliness, transportation and employee traffic.
• Establish and implement an effective vaccination program with your veterinarian that supports herd health and safety.
• Build a nutritional platform in your pigs’ diet that includes technologies to reduce the risk of pathogens and improve immunity.
• Be ready to adapt. Reducing antibiotics or implementing an antibiotic-free program takes time. Observing how these changes impact the animal’s health and production is an important part of this process. Make sure there is room in the plan to make improvements in the process. •
Food & Farming Champion Award
Recently Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan (FFC SK) announced a new award to shine a light on the people who work hard to promote Saskatchewan agriculture and help farmers build public trust in our food industry. The Food & Farm Champion Award is bestowed upon individuals, organizations or businesses who have taken the initiative to speak up about agriculture in our province. Nominees have used their skills to help engage consumers or correct misinformation about production practices, and have done a measureable job of promoting the agriculture sector.
FFC SK is a non-profit organization that seeks to build confidence in Saskatchewan food production – to let consumers know that the food we produce is healthy, safe and responsibly grown; that farmers and ranchers are innovative, technologically advanced and care deeply about the animals and land they work with. With less than 2% of Canadians having a direct link to the farm, concerted consumer outreach is more important than ever. “We need to share what we do, how we do it and why it matters to all of us in a language and in ways that consumers can understand and appreciate,” says Adele Buettner, CEO of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan.
This award was designed to recognize those in our community who have helped FFC SK with their mission of enhancing public trust and confidence in food and farming. As the use of social media grows, and misinformation spreads, farmers and ranchers need to join the conversation to ensure that public perception is not swayed by too many people who know very little about food production.
“It’s about making the connections between our food and the farmers who produce it,” Buettner affirmed. “It’s time to encourage the experts to give voice to what they do best to safeguard their futures and build public confidence.”
Nominations are to be submitted to the FFC SK office by September 30, 2016. The selection committee will choose a winner from the nominations and award winners will be honoured at the Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan Annual Conference on December 14 & 15 in Saskatoon. Those who are nominated but do not win in the current year will stay in the nomination pool for two more years with two more opportunities to receive recognition for their hard work. •
Canadian Bio-Systems and Nuscience Announce Strategic Marketing Agreement
Canadian Bio-Systems Inc. (CBS Inc.) and Nuscience Group recently recognized a new strategic marketing agreement.
The agreement covers the distribution of Nuscience technology in Canada, utilizing complementary resources of both companies to bring enhanced animal feed solutions to the Canadian marketplace.
“We are very pleased to establish this agreement with Nuscience Group,” says Rob Patterson, Technical Director of CBS Inc. “It creates unique synergies to benefit Canadian customers in capturing the benefits of innovative, high-quality Nuscience technology that complements our existing CBS Inc. product portfolio.”
“One of the major challenges of the animal feed industry is animal health and the role nutrition plays in a preventative approach to improve animal health,” says Katrien Deschepper, COO of the Nuscience Group. “Nuscience functional feed ingredients have proven to be a valuable solution to support the animals health. We will continue to focus on innovation and look for partners that share our mission to create nutritional products that improve animal health and technical performance in a cost effective and sustainable way.”
“We are extremely pleased with the appointment of CBS Inc. as our partner in Canada,” says Rob Goedegebuure, VP Sales of the Health4U business unit of the Nuscience Group. “CBS Inc. is a well-recognized company in the Canadian market. We have great confidence in CBS Inc. to bring our Nuscience nutritional solutions to the feed industry in Canada.”
The agreement will utilize CBS Inc. distribution and technical services capacity to support adoption of selected Nuscience technology solutions. •
Innovative Encompas5 Feed Additive Offers Broad Advantages Including for ‘RWA’ Systems
Farming operations striving to meet the rising demands of the latest marketplace trends have access to an innovative new feed additive that represents a broad swath of advantages for swine and poultry production.
Encompas5 from Connect OnFarm, based in Lethbridge, Alberta, is a bio-based, next generation premium enzyme formulation that features multiple activities to deliver across-the-board animal performance and environmental benefits, including advantages for ‘raised without antibiotics’ systems. Like all effective feed enzyme formulations, Encompas5 works by breaking down components of animal feed that otherwise would be impossible or hard to digest. This releases additional nutrients and energy from those components that can be captured and used by the animal. However, many traditional formulations utilize only one or two types of enzymes. Encompas5 includes a combination of five unique and complementary enzymes that offer both individual and synergistic benefits for overall more powerful and effective results.
Additional feed enhancing technology in Encompas5 includes a proprietary bio-based extract proven to help reduce ammonia and other noxious gases, while also supporting optimal gut health. Specific advantages shown with Encompas5 include improved feed efficiency, average daily gain, ammonia reduction, strong overall herd health and enhanced capability to maintain or strengthen results with lower or eliminated use of antimicrobials. •
Hypor Magnus Finishers Consistently Rank in Top 10 On Maple Leaf Foods’ Carcass Quality Index
Five out of the top ten indexing producers supplying hogs to Maple Leaf Foods, in Brandon Manitoba, Canada, use Hypor Magnus Duroc semen according to Hams Marketing Services’ Top 10 List for the month of June 2016. Each month Hams Marketing Services, Western Canada’s largest hog marketing organization, ranks the quality of pigs from Manitoba and Saskatchewan-based hog producers marketing to Maple Leaf Foods. Maple Leaf Foods is Canada’s leading consumer packaged meat company. Hypor Canada sales manager Chris Tokaruk. added that “five of the farms listed in the top ten for index in April and six of the farms listed in May, use the Hypor Magnus Duroc semen in their operations.” Carcass quality takes into account the health, lean percentage, loin depth, meat percentage and the proportion of pigs sold that meet the target carcass weight. “Hitting the grid results in higher indexes and often higher margins for the producer,” Tokaruk says. The definition of carcass quality is based on current consumer demand for traits like the leanness of pork. “The carcass grading system helps meat packers market uniform products by offering incentives to producers that supply pigs fitting their criteria,” adds Chris. •
This news came in moments before press time.
MacAulay Won’t Over-rule CFIA
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAuley will not over-rule the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on its requirement that hog-hauling transports be washed in the United States before returning to Canada.
Hog farmers are angry about that requirement because they say many U.S. truck washes recycle water contaminated with the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus. Instead of acting to prevent the spread of the virus, the washing actually increases the likelihood that it will contaminate trucks that then carry it into Canadian farms. MacAulay was asked about the truck-washing rule during a visit this week to Winnipeg. “It’s very difficult for me to overrule the regulations continually,” said MacAulay. “I am the government, but I am not a scientist.” He acknowledged the disease has been a huge issue south of the border, but said the inspection agency has indicated washing swine-hauling trailers before they return to Canada is the right approach.
The Manitoba Pork Council disagrees and has been working to convince the agency otherwise. “I think that it’s pure logic that if there is more disease down south and they use recycled water in their wash facilities, that it is a time bomb,” said Pork Council president George Matheson. “It will only be a matter of time before more PEDv enters the province because of that, so we’re hoping that between the minister and CFIA that they closely look at it and perhaps make a regional protocol for us.” For two years an emergency federal protocol allowed empty hog trucks coming into Manitoba from the U.S. to be cleaned and disinfected on the Manitoba side of the border. That protocol ended in May. Matheson said he remains optimistic that negotiations will lead to rule changes that are acceptable and effective in preventing the spread of the disease via transports returning from the United States. •
— by Jim Romahn
