Topigs Welcomes New Team Member
Topigs Norsvin Canada announced recently that effective September 1, 2022, Wes Friesen will join its staff as Alberta Business Development Representative, based out of the Southern Alberta region. In his new role, Wes will be focused on Business Development and customer support in Alberta, Montana & Saskatchewan.
Wes is well known in Western Canada and Montana and has considerable experience in feeding strategies for swine production operations.
“Having already worked with many customers of Topigs Norsvin Canada on the feed side, I am privileged to continue working with them and others on the genetic side now. I am excited about growing my career with Topigs Norsvin. Spending time with family and friends is on the forefront for me. In my spare time I enjoy traveling, watching, and playing many sports”, said Wes. •

Swine Innovation Porc (SIP) Appoints Daniel Ramage as General Manager
Swine Innovation Porc’s (SIP) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Ramage to the position of General Manager, effective August 15, 2022.
“We are excited about SIP’s future and look forward to the continued development of this organization and its impact in the advancement of the pork value chain” stated Arno Schober, Board Chair. “Through this appointment, the Board is focused on maintaining and expanding SIP’s leadership within the Canadian agriculture industry and research ecosystem”
“I look forward to working collaboratively with the SIP team together with provincial pork organizations and partners across the national value chain” said Ramage. “Building on SIP’s success through cooperation across Canada’s pork sector is pivotal to mobilize new solutions and advance growth opportunities for the industry. It is through collaboration that we can foster innovation and continue positioning the sector for greater competitiveness.”
SIP’s central role in facilitating and funding research across Canada’s pork innovation community is driven by cooperation across industry, academia and government. The organization enables research in priority areas including sustainability, animal health, nutrition, welfare and quality, and other areas driving the sector’s development and prosperity.
“Looking ahead, SIP will be developing and implementing the next swine cluster agreement” stated Schober. “With renewed leadership we are excited about the possibilities for SIP and its contributions to the Canadian pork sector.” •

Genesus Expansion
Last year Genesus commenced the stocking of a new Nucleus and Multiplication partner Ruchlaw Produce Company Limited, located near Edinburgh, Scotland. Production at the farm has been underway and is going well.
 This partnership is another testament to the Genesus’ commitment to providing high-health status pig genetics for the UK and our global customers.
Nucleus herd: Penmanshiel Unit 1,050 sows fully stocked with 1,112 Yorkshire and Landrace head.
Multiplication herd: Park unit 1,000 sows.
 Chesterhall herd: unit 650 sows will be restocked from Penmanshiel Nucleus during September 2022
 Total Ruchlaw Sow Herd 2,700 sows on completion.
 Genesus chose the UK for the Genesus breeding stock expansion program as part of its continued export growth into Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, Central Asia, Asia, and South East Asia and to continue the growth of Genesus breeding stock and semen within the UK.
With this expansion, Genesus will now house 4,500 GGP & GP purebred Yorkshire, Landrace & Duroc sows in its UK pyramid. •

Christopher Mateo Rejoins Standard Nutrition
Christopher Mateo Joins Standard Nutrition Services as Vice President of Sales and Nutrition Consulting
Standard Nutrition Services (SNS) announced recently that Christopher Mateo, DVM, MS, Ph.D. has been hired to lead the company’s nutrition consulting business beginning October 1, 2022. Mateo, who has more than 25 years of animal nutrition and ag industry experience, previously worked for Standard Nutrition Canada from 2009 to 2018, first as a Director of Nutrition, then General Manager (Northwest Region) and finally as a Managing Partner.
“I am pleased to rejoin Standard and look forward to working closely with the nutrition consulting team to enhance partnerships with the producers we already serve, but also help build new relationships with producers that our company has not yet worked with,” said Mateo. “This is a great opportunity to serve a company and client base I already know. This role allows me to lead a team of talented professionals while also utilizing my animal science and veterinary medicine backgrounds in a hands-on role with producers and consultants.”
Mateo, who is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with Master’s and Doctorate degrees in animal science, most recently worked as a Business Unit Director for swine, poultry, and aquaculture at Zoetis – Canada in Montreal, Quebec. He also brings strong research and academic credentials to the role, as he has led several different grant-funded studies and is also an accomplished author, trainer, and presenter especially as it relates to swine nutrition. Mateo’s vast experience will position him to impact strategic thinking and innovation as SNS works to best support producers in an evolving market. •

DanBred Makes Deal with Alliance Genetics Canada
Hog-farming customers of Alliance Genetics will be gaining access to some of the world’s best Durocs because of a deal reached with DanBred Canada, subsidiary of DanBred in Denmark.
DanBred Canada gained access to top Durocs here when it brought in Total Swine Genetics, the Tavistock-area farm of Arnold Ypma.
AGC was formed in 2013 through partnership agreements with more than a dozen nucleus herds and nearly 10,000 purebred sows from Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire lines, it drew on genetics developed over the previous 40 years in Ontario.
It now works with numerous nucleus and multiplier herds, including one in Alberta. According to manager Dave Vandenbroek the company maintains “a good market share in selling first-generation crosses to farmers in Ontario and Alberta and has a good market for terminal sires’ semen. •
—By Jim Romahn

Bacon Night with the Winnipeg Goldeyes 
Manitoba Pork proudly sponsored Bacon Night with the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball team on August 26 in front of a great crowd at Shaw Park in Winnipeg, MB. As part of the festivities, Manitoba Pork staff grilled and served delicious Pork on a Bun, with proceeds going to the Goldeyes Field of Dreams Foundation.  
The first 1,000 fans received bacon aprons, and the bacon uniforms the team wore for the game will be auctioned off throughout the season in support of Agape Table. This organization helps to feed the most vulnerable Manitobans.  
Each inning included bacon giveaways, including a bacon prize for a year while Goldeyes players took part in a bacon cooking challenge.  
Russ Penner of Winkler, MB, a sales representative in the pig genetics sector and a minor baseball player, threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Bacon Night on behalf of Manitoba’s pork producers.   
Penner works on the Manitoba Pork Council public relations committee pigs and pork wherever possible. 
“We celebrated bacon night and at this year’s great event I got to throw the first pitch – exciting and a lot of fun.” 
It’s interesting how Manitoba Pork involves all kinds of pig producers and promotes their pigs and pork in whatever way that makes sense.  
“We lobby governments to keep the restrictions down so we can expand our footprint and keep serving people and making delicious pork.” 
 Penner still plays minor ball at the provincial level and describes that first pitch on Bacon Night with the Goldeyes.  
“I told the catcher the ball would come in a little hotter than usual, so I threw it harder than usual and it ended up skipping in the dirt. So it wasn’t the best, but it was still a lot of fun.” •
— By Harry Siemens