Award Of Distinction
Sask Pork honoured local swine researcher Dr. Dan Columbus with a Saskatchewan Pork Industry Award of Distinction in the area of Excellence in Production Research this week at the 44th annual Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium.
Columbus is a Research Scientist in Nutrition at Prairie Swine Centre and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan. He joined Prairie Swine Centre in 2015 and his academic contributions have helped obtain more than $5 million in research funding as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator in less than five years.
“It’s really nice to have your efforts recognized when you’ve been working to advance and provide improvements for the pork industry,” said Columbus. “The pork industry as a whole tends to be very innovative but we don’t always talk about it very much outside our own professional circles. It’s wonderful that people are recognizing and valuing the impact of these efforts by both myself and our research group.”
“Sask Pork is pleased to recognize Dan Columbus for the significant impact he is making in Saskatchewan’s pork industry,” said Mark Ferguson, General Manager, Sask Pork. “He has helped grow research excellence in Saskatchewan, which is key to making continual improvements in pig nutrition and health as well as provide more wide-reaching impacts for human health.”
Dr. Murray Pettitt, CEO of Prairie Swine Centre nominated Columbus. “Dan has quickly established himself as an excellent researcher and has made numerous contributions to academia, the training of the next generation of swine professionals and to the Saskatchewan swine industry,” said Pettitt.
“In 2015 when we interviewed Dan he was at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas,” said Lee Whittington, retired CEO at Prairie Swine Centre. “We knew that he represented the next generation in research scientists. He had a one-health mindset, linking human and animal growth, nutrition and health. We also knew two important attributes to success that he already possessed, he was not afraid to get his hands dirty and he was not afraid of hard work.”
Some of Columbus’s prolific work has focused on the impact of amino acids in disease-challenged pigs, neonatal under-nutrition and its effect on pig development and cardiovascular function, long-term effects of mycotoxin intake, as well defining protein quality. Columbus was also awarded the Canadian Society of Animal Science Young Scientist Award in 2019.
The Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium was held virtually from November 16-17 and attendees joined the conference from 12 countries, six Canadian provinces, and eight U.S. states. •

Swine Innovation Porc Announces New Chair
This past September, Swine Innovation Porc’s (SIP) board of directors elected Arno Schober to lead the organization as its new Chair. Arno has been a member of the Board since 2015 and had been serving as Treasurer since 2019.
Arno is a wean-to-finish pig producer near Barrie, Ontario and produces about 5000 market hogs per year. Arno has also been quite active on other pork industry boards, currently serving as Vice-Chair for Ontario Pork and also previously as a member of Canada Pork.
“SIP has evolved over the years, and I look forward to leading the charge in facilitating industry- led research solutions for the pork industry,” said Arno. “I am very proud of the work the organization has accomplished to date, which includes over $50 million invested in research initiatives. Cutting edge research is essential for the Canadian pork industry to stay competitive and profitable. With the next federal Agricultural Policy Framework around the corner, as well as the Pork Promotion and Research Agency coming online, there will be a lot of work to do to ensure that SIP is taking advantage of all funding opportunities to maximize the level of high quality and relevant research.”
In addition to welcoming a new Chair, the board also elected Tara Terpstra as Treasurer. Tara, who has joined SIP in 2021, is a pork producer from Huron County in Ontario. She also serves on a number of other boards, including as Chair of the Research Committee at Ontario Pork, and also as a member of Livestock Research Innovation Corporation and Prairie Swine Centre. René Roy from Les Eleveurs de porc du Québec will continue again this year as SIP’s Vice-Chair.
As SIP welcomes a newly-formed Executive team, congratulations must also be extended to SIP’s outgoing Chair, Stewart Cressman. Stewart has been in this position since 2013 and has been with the organization since its founding in 2010. His contribution to the organization as its Chair has been invaluable. He has led the Board through two Swine Cluster programs and has been at the fore of its development as a nationally recognized institution. Many thanks to Stewart for his hours of hard work and his dedication to bringing producers across Canada together in or- der to join forces in creating nationally-driven R&D programs that benefit the industry. •

Topigs Adds to Team
Rey Garcia has joined its staff as Technical Support Specialist, based out of Oak Bluff Manitoba. In his new role, Rey will be focused on providing Technical and Production Support in Manitoba.
Rey has gained considerable experience over the last 10 years managing breeding barns in the USA and Canada. “He will be a valuable asset to the Topigs Norsvin Canada team and is eager to meet customers and engage with the production teams,” said Marcos Amorim, Key Account Technical Manager.
In addition to pork production experience, and prior to moving to the USA, Rey worked in a veterinarian practice in his home country of Mexico. •

Olymel Names New President & CEO
Yanick Gervais was appointed president and chief executive officer of Olymel LLP. Gervais was promoted interim CEO on October 7 after Nadeau was unable to perform his duties.
Before his promotion, Gervais was senior vice president, Operations at Olymel and was responsible for managing more than 30 pork and poultry processing plants, mostly in Quebec but also in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick. He was also overseeing the company’s logistics and engineering departments.
Réjean Nadeau, former president and chief executive officer of Olymel, lost his battle with a sudden and virulent cancer on October 14. He was 71.
Just before he died, he sent a note to employees asking them all “to continue on the path of growth, always keeping in mind the values on which the company was founded: integrity, respect and trust.
Olymel, owned by Sollio Cooperative Group, is one of Canada’s largest pork and poultry processing companies. •

Thanks Kim
At the recent Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium, Murray Pettitt CEO of Prairie Swine Centre, while announcing the Award of Distinction made special mention of a exceptional lady, Kim Browne. Kim recently retired as Communications-Promotion and Pork Industry Symposium Coordinator from SASK Pork after 22 years. In addition to Kim’s job at SASK Pork she spearheaded the Symposium for years, often referred to it as her baby. Numerous of the presenters over the 2 day event shared their own personal accolades and appreciation for Kim and wished her a great retirement.
All the best Kim, wherever your path leads.•

Happy Halloween
Peppa the Pig meet Peppa the Pig. Thanks Dani for being so adorable. •