Awards offered during the annual Banff Pork Seminar carry far greater value than the price of a leather jacket, a wall plaque or a handful of cash.
Winners of the annual F.X. Aherne Prize and finalists in the R.O. Ball competition, both named for former professors from the University of Alberta, gain an invaluable opportunity to strut their stuff in front of people who really need to see it.
“People now get to know you, they hear your name, it shows that you know what you’re talking about,” said Miranda Smits, a two-time winner of the student award and one of three judges for this year’s competition.
Now working in extension for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Smits won her award in 2010 when it was still called the Young Scientists Award and again in 2012 after was renamed for nutritionist Ron Ball, who had played a central role in organizing the annual Banff Pork Seminar.
The R.O. Ball Young Scientist Award brings four finalists selected from post-graduate students who have submitted research posters to the annual competition. The finalists are each given 20 minutes to present the methodology and results from their research. Finalists are reimbursed for a portion of their travel expenses and there is a cash award of $500 for first place and $250 for second place.

Although the money can be helpful, it’s really about the opportunities that the competition opens up for the finalists, Smits said.
She found it amusing and entirely coincidental that First Place this year went to a U of A student who had continued in the research area for which she had been recognized earlier. Smit’s thesis looked at feeding Omega 3 fatty acids to sows and effects on fetal programing.
The award went to Julia Linck Moroni from the U of A for her presentation, “Influence of litter weight birth phenotype on embryonic and placental development.”
Moroni described the impact of a sow’s uterine capacity on the size and function of the placenta, which affects the growth and weight of the pig embryo. She went on to state that low birth weights could be avoided by looking at uterine capacity as a factor in selecting breeding animals.
Second Place was awarded to another U of A student, Theresa Lantz, who presented a study on “Use of near-infrared spectroscopy as an inexpensive, fast and non-destructive method for intramuscular fat analysis in pork chops.”
Each of this year’s finalists, selected from 19 submissions, did an excellent job of presenting their work, said Smits.
“It was very high level this year. It was actually very interesting to see from the other end, because I’ve been in their shoes, I know what it’s like. None of them were overly nervous or falling apart – and I know that takes a lot of effort,” she said.

“(Julia) did a really good job talking about the methodology, and with the pictures showing exactly what kind of results they were getting and the things that they were measuring. I was actually thinking that, ‘Wow, she did a better job that I did back then.’”
The ability to present research is especially important if those findings are to have value beyond the scientific community. Course work at the U of A includes requirements for oral presentations. However, making your case to fellow students is much different than getting up in front of a large audience of industry leaders, producers and veterinarians.
”There is some ability there to practice, but it’s so different, standing in front of a bunch of other students that you probably all know versus a place like this, where now you’re talking to the people who will actually implement your stuff,” said Smit.
The question period following the formal presentation is where some of the competitors really shine while others may break down. Post-grads who are in the early stages of their research may be more inclined to get into trouble than those who are nearing the completion of their work, she said.
“Being able to present is really important.”
“There are some people out there that have great data, but they don’t have the ability to bring out the story. When someone wins that award, right away it shows that they’re very good at presenting, and I think that’s a huge advantage to show employers later on.”

The annual F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production rewards development of methods and tools that improve safety and efficiency for the benefit of staff and stock. The award is offered to two candidates each year. The winners in 2020 include a team of veterinarians from Ontario and an agriculture technology company from Iowa.
Tess Faulkner and Gillian Greaves of South West Ontario Veterinary Services were each awarded the trademark leather jacket for the development of a hammock that eases the task of restraining small pigs for euthanasia. The relatively inexpensive hammock consists of a collapsible frame with a sling of plastic mesh, similar to the type used in creating a snow fence. The pig is placed on the hammock with its legs through the holes in the mesh, rendering it immobile for the person operating the captive-bolt gun. The hammock can be folded up half for storage. Faulkner and Greaves have made their design and instructions available to anyone interested in building a copy.

Amos Peterson, CEO and co-founder of FarrPro Inc. won his jacket for a nursery device that provides even heat to a litter of piglets.
Called the Haven, Peterson’s system provides an evenly warm and draft free environment for nursery pigs, significantly reducing pre-wean mortality by keeping the pigs comfortable without having to crowd under a heat lamp or spread out to avoid overheating.

Peterson describe the Haven, built to cover two nursery units at a time, as a “Goldilocks” zone in which everything is just right for the piglets while the sow can remain cool and comfortable.
Presentations relating to the Aherne and Ball awards are made on the afternoon of the first day of the seminar, with award presentations made at the opening of the second day.
The Aherne award’s value to its recipients was evident in the reaction from delegates to the Banff Pork Seminar. Faulkner, Greaves and Peterson were kept busy for the balance of the conference, entertaining questions from people interested in learning more about their work.

Also presented with an award was Jack Dekkers, Iowa State, who was recipient of the 2020 George Foxcroft Honorary Lectureship Award. Dekkers’ BPS presentation was entitled “Genetics and early predictors of resilience” part of breakout session number 5.
Jack currently is a C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor and Leader of the Animal Breeding and Genetics group at Iowa State. Current research focuses on the genetic basis of feed efficiency and health in pigs and on the integration of quantitative and molecular genetics, including whole genome selection, with applications to swine and poultry. •
— By Brenda Kossowan