Here we are at the start of another year, and I am very proud to share that 2019 marks the 23rd year of publishing for Prairie Hog Country, your dedicated Western Canadian connection to the hog sector.

As all of you know our industry has been in the news and in what I refer to as mainstream media, which usually doesn’t mean good news for said industry. Be it the threat of African Swine Fever breaking our borders, which as Dr. Egan Brockhoff states “is terrifying,” or the first case of PED discovered on a central Alberta farm, pigs have been in the news. Scary times for sure, as if ASF breaks in Canada it will shut our borders, with an industry that exports over 70 percent of its product that would lead to destruction of said industry.

There are many articles in this edition on this hot topic, and a huge take home point is Bio Security – Bio Security – Bio Security. That will help at a local barn level however it is the airports where we need more scrutiny. Those in attendance at Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop back in October might remember Dr. John Carr sharing that when returning from China into Vancouver openly stating that he was a swine Veterinarian and had been on farms on his way to a hog conference in Alberta, was not asked any further questions. Dr. Brockhoff said we need to make the border patrol aware of huge risks. It was just two weeks ago that ASF was discovered in Australian airport in contaminated meat, had it not been caught it could have spread.

Kudos for entire Banff Pork Seminar team for putting together a great conference, 742 attended. Congratulations to the winners of F.X. Aherne Awards – Brett, Jamie & Carl Israel and Daniel & Justin Maendel, R.O. Ball Young Scientist Awards – Victoria Seip and Mariia Tokareva and George Foxcroft Honorary Lectureship in Swine Production Research Tom Stein. Mark your calendars for January 7 – 9, 2020 the next installment of Banff Pork Seminar.

This edition is jam packed with tons of stories. Thanks to my solid writing team, as I said in an interview with Harry at Prairie Livestock Expo, bringing you six quality editions of Prairie Hog Country is a team effort.

Congratulations also to the top 10 of the Pork Quality Competition back in December at Prairie Livestock Expo; Barrickman Colony took both 1st and 2nd place. However the big winners were the charities that received the prize money and the local food banks who were the recipients of donated pork.

In a few weeks, I will be in Swift Current at the one day Cramer Expo so be sure to stop by my booth and say hi. I so enjoy having the opportunity to see both the producers and fellow exhibitors face to face. A highlight at the end of the day is the Cramer Cup awards, especially to coveted top hog carcass honours. Big winners are the charities with donations of meat and monies from the live auction. Our industry continues to give back.

Thanks to Stuart Lumb, or as readers know him by his pen name, Norman Crabtree for his many years of submitting articles. He will no longer be contributing his informative and interesting submissions. Stuart, all of us at Prairie Hog Country wish you the best in your future.

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 April.