Farm shows grow and shrink, come and go, and often evolve into better shows that change with the continuing needs of the producers who come to those shows.

Producers, technicians and companies showing their wares came together on Dec. 14, in Winnipeg to make the Prairie Livestock Expo, Canada’s newest multispecies consumer show a success. Originally organized more than 30 years ago for the hog and poultry sectors, the show has expanded to showcase the newest technology and information for the production needs of all livestock producers!

The livestock sector, which consumes almost four million tonnes of grain and oilseed meal, accounts for almost half the farm receipts in Manitoba. In addition to being a major market for grain farmers, it creates almost 25,000 jobs directly and in the service, processing, distribution and retailing industries.

A highlight of the show is the carcass competition. This isn’t just any competition but pits hog producers, hog bosses and those who love looking after their animals against one another, not to show off but to produce even better hogs. Also, to see how your regular feeding program fares against the next producer.

Dennis Stevenson, the pork quality competition coordinator with the Prairie Livestock Expo organizing committee says Manitoba charities and local food banks are the real big winners of this year’s event.

Producers entered 34 hog carcasses from across Manitoba. The carcasses are judged according to the criteria used by Manitoba’s pork processing plants, Maple Leaf in Brandon and HyLife in Neepawa, to grade pork quality including carcass weight, meat color and loin eye size.

James Hofer, a pork producer with Starlite Colony near Starbuck, MB says a combination of superior genetics, high-quality feed and water, respectful animal handling and a blessing from above are the necessary ingredients for producing championship level pork.

A hog carcass produced by Starlite Colony at Starbuck topped a field of 34 entries at the Pork Quality Competition held in conjunction with Prairie Livestock Expo 2016 in Winnipeg. James Hofer, a member of the Starlite team that produced the winning hog, says the 600 sow farrow to finish operation runs Topigs Genetics with a PIC 337 boar line and ships 14 to 15 thousand market hogs per year to HyLife Foods in Neepawa. “The big thing is genetic improvement. Genetic companies, genetic research, they’re improving the genetics with every generation at amazing speeds,” said Hofer.

“Feed is a big thing. You’ve got to have good feed, good quality grains and water. Water is very important. Have good quality clean water with good feed and water delivery systems and then animal handling. You’ve got to handle and treat the pigs in a calm and respectful manner. Then you’ve done yours and then you need a blessing from above.,” added James. Hofer says working in a hog barn, wearing a mask and earplugs all day can be a monotonous job but it is fun to prepare and select pigs for the show and being named grand champion is a real motivator for barn staff. “I applaud the competition organizers and sponsors, but the real winners are the charities to which the prize money gets donated and the less fortunate who receive the pork through local food banks,” he said.

The show committee had raised 25,500 dollars and from that sponsorship money they take out the costs of the event with the rest put up for prize money.

“Whatever is left, we split it between the top 10 places and those people have a choice,” said Stevenson. “The winner can contribute all the money to charity or they can keep up to a maximum of 50 per cent of the prize money for use on their own farms or things like that but, in previous years we’ve seen most of the folks donate 100 per cent of their winnings to charity. This year the winner gets an additional prize, a trip down to the World Pork Expo in Iowa.”

The pork goes to charities in Winnipeg including Siloam Mission, Winnipeg Harvest who help with distributing that meat throughout the Christmas season.

The top ten finishers were: 1st Place – 2016 Grand Champion – $5000 and trip for two to World Pork Expo – Starlite Colony (Charity: Siloam Mission) 2nd Place – 2016 Reserve Grand Champion – Boundary Lane Colony – $4000 (South East Integrated Care Unit, Moosomin, SK) 3rd Place – Aspenheim Colony – $3000 (Portage District Hospital Foundation; Children’s Hospital Foundation of MB) 4th Place – Barrickman Colony – $2000 (Children’s Hospital Foundation of MB) 5th Place – Rolling Acres Colony – $1500 (Neepawa Hospital) 6th Place – New Haven Colony North – $1000 (Stonewall Hospital) 7th Place – Skyview Colony – $500 (Boundary Trail Hospital; Eden Mental Health Centre) 8th Place – Rose Valley Colony – $500 (Boundary Trail Hospital) 9th Place – Waldheim Colony – $500 (St Boniface Hospital) 10th Place – Aspenheim Colony – $500 (Portage District Hospital Foundation; Children’s Hospital Foundation of MB). •

—By Harry Siemens