Out of 42 superb hog carcasses entered in the Pork Quality Competition at the Prairie Livestock Expo in Winnipeg, MB last month, Barrickman Colony took home both the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion honours. Country Meats & Sausage in Blumenort, MB donated the processing.

The top ten placements were: 1- Barrickman Colony, 2 – Barrickman Colony, 3 -Northern Breeze Colony, 4 -Maxwell Colony, 5- Woodlands Colony, 6 – Greenwald Colony, 7 – Boundary Lane Colony, 8 – New Haven Colony-North, 9- Rolling Acres Colony and 10 – Woodlands Colony

The prize-winning top 10 carcasses went to Siloam Mission, while the industry donated the prize money to charities of the winners’ choice. Winnipeg Harvest took the remainder of the carcasses distributing them to their needy clients. Cascade Colony won $2,500 towards a trip to World Pork Expo 2019 in Des Moines in June.

Jason Care, the Manager of Manitoba Hog Grading, said the Prairie Livestock Expo Pork Quality Competition allows the pork sector to showcase the product it provides to the consumer while supporting Manitoba food banks and charities.

Care, one of the Pork Quality Competition judges said the criteria for the competition is a reflection of what the pork processing plants want to supply their customers.

“The judging criteria we set out, we look at actual grading data which we use in the plants. We base it off a market hog, what they would call a perfect marketable hog,” he said.

Care added, “It’s a measurement of back fat, a measurement of loin muscle mass, then they take into consideration the belly and the muscles groups that are in it with the fat balance that you have. We look at the colour of the meat after processing, at the loin size and marbling on the loins, too.

Care said they rolled the competition and the judging criteria into a fold so that the entries are what they would say are a premium market hog that you would sell is what they’re trying to match.

“It’s a finite criterion with specifics, so they want to match that to the quality of pork that we are shipping to the plants which end up on the plates.”

Care said hog operations could enter one or two market hogs.

Barrickman Colony near Headingly, MB took the top two positions in the judging competition winning the Grand Champion [$5,000 prize money] and Reserve Champion [$4,000 prize] with all of the prize money going to the charities of their choice.

“We had 42 entries with over 9,000 lbs of pork donated to Siloam Mission and Winnipeg Harvest just in time for the Christmas season,” said Darren Bates the Emcee and a member of the organizing committee.

“Since 1996 we have donated over $400,000 to charity and over 135,000 lbs of pork to local food banks. We give cash prizes to the top 10 winners which in turn those winners give to the charity of choice decided by the colony that won.”

Speaking to judge Jason Care who has judged these competitions since 2006 after the competition winner announcements this is the first time where seven placements of the top ten tied.

“They’ve learnt the show and the criteria,” said Care. “I mean they’re the managers of their barns, and they know what to pick, and the right pigs to hit the criteria. I mean, the criteria that we set out was to be what we would call, a perfect marketable hog. So, these producers are right on target as you saw. This competition is the first time we had 100 points out of 111 points for the show. So it’s a first time, like I said, to do that. As well, the first time that we had seven out of the top 10, tied.”

He said to make the competition even better they donate all the pork to food banks and all the prize money a total of $28,000 also goes to all these charitable organizations. So, it’s amazing what they do. They give back to the community!

“I’ve never seen them have a show where they meet 90 percent of the criteria of what they would classify as a perfect, marketable hog.”

Walter Hofer, who looks after the females on the Barrickman Colony hog farm said when asked what do they do differently to win the Grand and Reserve Champions in the same competition, “What you have to do? Honestly, not much. You can’t do much really. You know, you go out, and it’s like your pigs, and you figure you are just selecting out the best ones you’ve got and go from there. There are probably lots in the barn, but you gotta find the best one.”

Hofer said all the workers in the barn, and there are seven and the nutritional company representative together find the right pigs to enter the carcass competition.

The Colony with the winning entries operates a 900-sow farrow to finish operation. •

— By Harry Siemens