On February 15, h@ms Marketing Services Co-op Inc. mailed out payments totaling $656,000, a $0.45 per hog rebate for all hogs marketed through the Co-op in 2015 — 1,457,085 hogs between January 5, 2015 and December 31, 2015.
Retiring general manager Perry Mohr says the Co-op generated the surplus due to a combination of strong revenues, and efficiency enhancements that ultimately reduced their expenses.
h@ms continues to experience steady growth in Western Canada and markets hogs in all three Prairie Provinces.
President Brad Rodgers sees a continuation of this growth.
“Our philosophy is to take a cautious but steady approach to expanding our profile in Western Canada,” said Rodgers. “In the last three years, we have seen an annual increase in marketing’s of three per cent, with the majority of the growth originating from Saskatchewan and Alberta. I believe this trend will continue as more producers become aware of the superior services we offer at a very low cost.”
h@ms Marketing Services is a producer owned hog marketing Co-op that markets 1,500,000 hogs, sows and boars annually on behalf of 140 producers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Bill Alford, director of producer and marketing services, and the incoming general manager says Perry has been with the organization from beginning, transitioning the Co-op through those difficult times.
“I’ve learned a lot from him and the organization is still growing and I’m looking forward to that opportunity,” said Alford who takes over May 23. “I will take all the lessons I’ve learned and apply them into the future.” What are his feelings about the hog industry going forward?
“Perry is leaving at the top, the producers are making some money, and a lot more optimism,” he said. “I think these things are cyclical just like anything. We will have some new construction in Manitoba, by the look of things, if things keep up, something we have not had in a long time. A growth phase and get things efficient again.”
Alford agrees with Jason Manness, director of procurement for Maple Leaf Foods who said recently at the Suncrest Colony opening of a new sow barn, what Manitoba needs is more feeder barns, at 100,if not 200 new barns.
“We have enough pigs, but we need them staying here and not crossing the 49th parallel,” said Alford. “That will take some time, and money but I think but after seeing a barn like the new one at Suncrest Colony, we hadn’t seen one in seven years. But boy you could feel the energy in the crowd as more optimistic, and hopefully we get a little bit of a spin off.”
In h@MS situation, while processors need more pigs to stay at home for process, and not travelling south as Isoweans, he sees it as opportunity.
“Those are opportunities that have not been there for a while We are looking forward to looking at renewing some relationships that we lost, and we expect to renew them once again,” said Alford. “There will be more opportunities and things will get more competitive which is good for the entire industry.” •
— By Harry Siemens
