Some cherished concepts have turned 50 this year: Rubik’s Cube, Skittles and Bailey’s Irish Cream among them. For a select crowd gathered in Red Deer on June 12 and 13, the most important of all may well have been Alberta Pork Congress – a place where producers and suppliers could reconnect and talk shop.
The annual trade show and awards banquet, curtailed somewhat in the aftermath of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, was back in full swing for its 50th anniversary, held at Westerner Park and the Holiday Inn in Red Deer County. Show President Nick Korver opened the Wednesday evening awards banquet with a chat about how the world looked in 1974, when bacon was 99 cents a pound and a decent car ran at about $4,500.
He recalled Billy Joel and Dolly Parton making a splash in 1974 with their hit songs, Piano Man and Jolene, then reminded people of the new TV series, M.A.S.H. and The Waltons. Hollywood blockbuster The Sting with Robert Redford and Paul Newman was filling cinema seats along with Woody Allen’s comedy, Blazing Saddles.

The Edmonton Eskimos made it to the Grey Cup finals but lost to the Montreal Alouettes. A new expansion team, the Philadelphia Flyers, won the Stanley Cup and the Miami Dolphins took the Super Bowl. Richard Nixon was falling into disgrace as president of the United States. In Canada, the current prime minister’s father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, was Prime Minister and engaged in ongoing battle with Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed and his Conservatives.
In Red Deer, the first edition of Alberta Pork Congress was held early in March at the exhibition grounds located downtown, across the road from the site where construction magnate Maynard Vollan, based in British Columbia, was about to build a flashy new hotel.

Once completed, the Red Deer Lodge became home to the Pork Congress Banquet. That relationship was crushed in February of 2011, when a part of the hotel’s roof collapsed, destroying the banquet and exhibition facilities, forcing the trade show organizers to find a new home for their banquet, held at Westerner Park’s Harvest Centre for a few years, and then moved to the nearby Holiday Inn at the east side of Gasoline Alley.
The show itself had moved in the early 80s when the downtown fairgrounds were closed in favour of a new site – Westerner Park – at the south side of the city. In the ensuing years, the show moved as the facilities evolved and was most recently relocated to the new Exhibition Hall, which adjoins the Parkland and Prairie Pavilions.
As much as things have changed, some things have remained the same. Producers, suppliers and various agencies serving the industry still rely on Alberta Pork Congress as an opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new connections. Among those who have been attending since the early days of the show were producer Bryan Perkins, swine specialist and consultant Marvin Salomons, retired producer Ciaran Ormand and newly retired supplier John Drost.
Highlighting the two days of the show is the Wednesday evening banquet, when Alberta Pork Congress and the Olymel plant at Red Deer announce and present their annual awards.

Special guests for the 50th Anniversary Banquet were Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnson and Jason Hale, Alberta’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation.
MLA for Strathmore-Brooks from 2012 to 2015, Hale is a cattle producer, former oilfield consultant and spent 10 years as a professional bullfighter. Hale congratulated the organizers and the assembly for their “remarkable journey” and brought greetings from Minister Richard Junior “RJ” Sigurdson, who was unable to attend.
“The sense of solidarity here tonight truly makes you proud to be part of Alberta’s agricultural community,” said Hale.
He noted that the number of pigs on Alberta farms has grown by 34 per cent since 1974, to 1.5 million head, and explained that the provincial government is aware of challenges facing producers.
“We are working with other jurisdictions, industry and the federal government to remove and reduce trade barriers. The Alberta government continues to advocate for Alberta pork producers through continued collaboration with federal, state and industry partners on ways to maintain trade and provide North American consumers with affordable pork products.”
The province also takes an active role in efforts to prevent African Swine Fever from entering Canada and in the ongoing development of a response plan, said Hale.
“We were all, of course, encouraged with the increase in prices this past year, and I firmly believe that 2024 brings new promise of a bright future. In the meantime, we are here to help,” he said.
“The people in this room are key players in driving the industry even when times are tough. Tonight is the time to celebrate some of these people for the dedication and commitment above and beyond what is expected. Congratulations to all the nominees for demonstrating excellence in the Alberta pork industry this year. Thank you for helping our communities thrive and continue to produce the best pork.”
Mayor Johnson picked up the conversation, relating his previous experience as a banker who had played a key role in advocating for producers during the financial crisis in 1998.
“Please don’t throw bread rolls, but I’m an ex-banker. I have 40 years in the banking businesses. Some of my best clients . . . were in the pork industry, in the hog industry; the hardest working, the most cyclical. You had to have endurance in those days, you have to have endurance today to be in the hog industry,” said Johnson.
He reminded those in the room who were old enough to remember that another big trend during the mid-70s was the popularity of citizen band (CB) radios in both private vehicles and transport trucks.
“You were nobody unless you had a CB radio. We were all ‘breaker breaker’ back then, and ‘see you on Channel 3’ or whatever. It was a lot of fun.”
Johnson recapped a conversation he had with Pork Congress director Steve Laycock during dinner.

“He said, ‘You know, Ken, we are in a people business and everyone in this room is in the people business.’
“Let’s not forget that. And it is all about trust. It is all about relationships. And I’ll bet when we see these award winners tonight, they were founded on trust and relationships because that’s what it’s all about.”
Johnson said he felt honoured to bring congratulations from the citizenry of Red Deer to an industry that has been an economic driver within the city and across the Prairies.

Pork Congress Awards
Alberta Pork Congress presents its annual awards as a means of encouraging and recognizing people and businesses who lead by example. Each year, a video presentation is created, and then played during the presentations to profile the recipients and describe their contributions.

Rising Star
An equestrian who dedicates her spare time to amazing feats of muscle power was named 2024 winner of the Pork Congress Rising Star Award, presented to an up-and-comer who is making major strides within the industry.
Veterinarian Lexie Reed, in the video profile presented during the Wednesday night banquet, said she was raised in Southwestern Ontario on a cow-calf and horse farm. Reed had always assumed that her career would follow cattle and horses. Pigs were not on her radar. That notion took a turn during vet school, when Reed was connected with swine specialist Sue Burlatschenko, whom she had heard during career presentations in high school.
“She just blew my mind. I thought it was so fascinating, what she did.”
Reed said she had planned to translate what she was learning from Burlatschenko into her proposed equine specialty. Then, Burlatschenko connected her with another swine specialist, Tim Blackwell.
“By being affiliated with these two pig vets, I came to love pigs, and I never thought that I would work with pigs, because it was a really foreign industry to me.”
During her final year of vet school, Reed found an opportunity to work with both cattle and pigs at Sunny South Veterinary Services, a Lethbridge-based large animal practice.
Reed said she has learned a great deal from producers and pigs and feels fortunate to have the mentorship and support provided by her “bosses,” veterinarians Bruce Hill and Craig Degroot.

She observed that people like her, who come in from outside of the industry, bring a different perspective that can be valuable to producers and their livestock. She encourages anyone interested in getting involved with swine medicine to get some experience working in a pig barn, which she did in both Ontario and Alberta.
“I learned so much by doing the day-to-day jobs that our producers do.”
While she enjoys mountain hikes and rock climbing, Reed spends much of her time after hours at a local gym, where she trains as a power lifter with an Olympic weightlifting team.
“I’ve always really liked not just sport, but the atmosphere of having a competitive team where there’s consistency, there’s connection with your teammates. Then there’s the opportunity to go test what you’ve been preparing for.”

Industry Ambassador Award
The Industry Ambassador Award is granted to an individual or company whose efforts reflect a commitment above and beyond the expectations of the industry, Korver said in introducing the 2024 winner.
This year, the award was presented to Andy Walter, hog barn manager at Granum Colony, Alberta director for H@ms Marketing and a second-term director with Alberta Pork.
Walter expressed his belief in collaboration and teamwork during a brief acceptance speech. He said the industry has certainly changed during the 45 years since he first became involved, sweeping floors in the pig barn and working with piglets, then going to work in the dry sow barn. He has been in charge of Granum Colony’s swine operation for the past six years.
“Let’s work together. We can keep this industry going,” said Walter.
“We can keep it by teamwork. It starts with the producer at the place where you get your hogs going, then from there to the packing plant, then to the marketing to retail. If we can work together as a team, we can keep this industry and build it back up.”
In the time since he first started, Granum has evolved to a grow-finish operation, bringing 420 weaners in every two weeks and raising them to about 120 kilograms over 80 to 85 days. He said in a chat with Prairie Hog Country that he likes to inspect the finishers on Thursday so he can decide which of them will be ready for shipment to Britco on Saturday. He ships fewer hogs per load on warmer days to mitigate heat-related shrinkage during the trip west to Langley.
Within his video presentation, Walter outlined his confidence in the future of Western Canada’s hog industry as well as his support for converting barns to loose housing, largely for the efficiencies it offers and the significantly lower maintenance requirements.
He also recommends artificial insemination rather than live cover as a means of improving efficiency and reducing bio-security risks.
“I love the livestock industry. I love pork. I still love working with pigs and making the industry grow, eh?”
And he enjoys a good pun: “Like I say, seven days without pork makes one weak.”
Walter has been an Alberta Pork director for four years, with two to go in his second term and has served on the H@ms Marketing board for six years. He was recently named Alberta director for the agency.

Farm Team Award
Farm units selected for the team award put the concept of collaboration into action, creating a better working environment for the people and the animals in their care. The 2024 winner of this award demonstrates the benefits of keeping everyone pulling together in the pursuit of common goals. David Tschetter, hog manager and feed mill manager for Holt Colony near Irma, accepted the award on behalf of his barn team. Holt Colony set the stage for progress recently with a complete renovation of the hog barns, from the sow rooms and nursery to the loading ramp.
In his video, Tschetter said he learned a valuable lesson from a man who worked in swine genetics. He said everything else will fall into place if the farm does three important things every week: Fill breeding targets, ship hogs at the right weight and maintain strict bio-security.
“I’ve experienced that over and over. We do (those) three things and nothing much can go wrong, but a whole lot of things can go right.”
There are four people on the team, one for each area of the barn, with each one capable of covering in the other units. That way there is never an issue if someone is not available for work.
“Communication is very important in a team effort, and people need to be told if they do a good job. It’s very important to pat each other on the back. That makes a good team.”
Tschetter said he and his team like to go out for supper a couple of times every year and talk about their goals and strategies. He said everyone’s opinion is important, and sometimes the newest guy has the best ideas. His team challenges each other to continually improve, which motivates everyone to keep trying to do better.
He describes the decision to convert to loose housing as scary. It came along quicker than they had thought, but it was the right choice.
“It was something new and now I can honestly say that I’m glad we did it. I don’t ever want to raise another sow in a gestation crate.”
He added, “You’ve got more control over your herd with loose housing. Every walking man and woman helped with that job. It was a big team effort.”
The renovation included a retrofit of the feed mill with advanced technology that was only the second of its kind in North America.
Tschetter said the support of his family was vital, especially on those days when he didn’t feel like going into the barn.
“I was at Alberta Pork Congress many years ago, and I watched the team effort award, and I drove home the next day and I thought to myself, man, them people did a good job and we’ve got a ways to go if we ever think of trying that.
He said the journey over the past 22 years has been worth it and that he feels honoured to represent the Holt Colony farm at Alberta Pork congress.
“If you dream, dream big. Chase your dream.”

Lifetime Achievement
A city boy from Ireland joins the esteemed crowd of producers honoured for achievements over their lifetime in Alberta’s swine industry.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ciaran Ormand, who was mentored by 2014 award winner, the late Bernie Peet. Like Peet, who passed away in 2022 at age 72, Ormand is recognized and celebrated through the award for playing an integral role in advancing the pork industry and for his long-term commitment and unwavering dedication to the industry.
In his video, Ormand stated that he was born and raised in the City of Cork, just off the south coast of Ireland. Ormand was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life after graduating from high school, when his brother got him a job on a pig farm. He worked there for awhile, then moved to another pig farm, and then enrolled in an agricultural course at a college in Wales.
The college program included going to work on two different pig farms. He started at one of the farms on the same day as Peet started there as a manager.
“So I got my first grounding in pork production from Bernie.”
He was still at college when an opportunity arose to work on a farm in Bentley, operated at the time by Dave Allen, uncle of its current operator, Will Kingma. Allen was a progressive owner who like to try different things, which Ormand says was “right up my alley.”
He left Ireland for Bentley in 1980 and shortly afterwards met and married Denise.
Twelve years after joining Allen’s operation, Ormand seized an opportunity to join three fellow producers in forming Partners in Pork. Six years ago, he and his partners sold their operations to Sunterra, with Ormand staying on as a manager of the Rimbey-area barn.
“The timing was perfect for us, because I was the youngest of the partners, so we were all getting to an age and (had) the opportunity to be bought out and then remain working with them.”
He said being willing to listen and to share your own experience are important elements in being an effective member of a committee or team.
“My advice would be, if you’re in the industry or thinking of getting into it, like I did, get involved.”
Making connections was a major benefit, along with learning about new things and arising issues, said Ormand.
“I was really lucky with the support I got when we started Partners in Pork. My wife, Denise, was really involved in the day-to-day, so if I had to take off for two or three days, she was the one who took the brunt of it.”
The Ormands’ three daughters worked in the barn, which also allowed him to get away and not worry about things going wrong in the operation.
“What’s really helped me over the years with the successes I’ve had is the people. I’m talking about the daily people, the people that worked for us and worked with me over the years.
“We’ve been very lucky to have had such incredible staff; people that have been with us, some of them for 10 to 25 years. They’re the people that keep things running and do an excellent job.”
Their work also allowed him the ability to get away from the farm to attend industry meetings and conferences.
Ormand said he is thankful for becoming involved in the industry and for being able to come to a country like Canada, where the opportunities are “just incredible.”
He and Denise now live on an acreage south of Rimbey and have laid plans to travel and enjoy their retirement.

Olymel Reach for the Top Awards
Quebec-based Olymel, a major sponsor of Alberta Pork Congress, is invited every year to present awards to producers who deliver to its Red Deer processing plant.
The Reach for the Top Awards recognize producers who meet or exceed plant targets, based on their scoring through the year, with a Grand Champion award presented to the farm that hits the highest overall score.
Awards were presented as follows by Plant Manager Ian Moon and staff from his front office:

• Food Safety: Britestone Colony
• Core Award: Birch Meadows Colony
• High Health Award: A&A Van Ginkle Pork Farm
• Logistics Award: Bentley Colony
• Grand Champion: VFA Pork Ltd.
  Alberta Pork Congress is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors and managed under contract with Kate Kelly and her staff at ConventionALL Management Inc. The 50th anniversary show opened its doors on June 12 with a near sellout of more than 90 different exhibitors. Planning begins soon for the 2025 edition. Please mark your calendars for the second week in June at Westerner Park in Red Deer. •
  — By Brenda Kossowan