Happy 2025! I am very excited as Prairie Hog Country is now entering its 29th year. Thanks so very much for your continued support, encouragement, readership and financial support through advertising which enables me to print and mail out every edition six times per year.
This issue has lots of follow-up coverage from the recent Banff Pork Seminar, which had 798 registered attendees this year. It was great to see so many familiar faces from the hog sector and meet some new peeps too. It was a very solid line up of speakers and sessions, as BPS once again offered a great opportunity to gain knowledge and updates on all aspects for the hog industry. Kudos to Ashley and the entire committee for putting together another great installment of the Banff Pork Seminar, mark your calendars for next January 6 – 8, 2026. The final closing session, while not related to pork was a wonderful message, from Tyler Smith Humboldt Broncos survivor. His engaging way of sharing his story is a tribute for everyone to ask for help, there is no shame in admitting you need assistance of any kind. I had the pleasure of chatting with Tyler and Kat before he spoke, what an amazing young man. He too is from Leduc Alberta, now residing in Calgary.
Congratulations to the George Foxcroft Lectureship Award Dr David Rosero and Richard de Wetering for receiving the FX Aherne Award for his adaptation of Duralite Windows as Panels in duel ventilated barn. Vanessa Kloostra from the University of Guelph took top honours in the RO Ball Young Scientist Award, while Kylie Tiedje from the University of Calgary secured second place.
Back on December 11, it was a full house with attendees at the Prairie Livestock Expo. Exhibitors were very pleased with the strong attendance at the show. Many conversations and leads were made with producers and industry representatives. Of course one of the highlights of the day is the Pork Quality Competition, Jason Care had the hard job of judging the carcasses, he commented it was the tightest he has ever judged. The narrow margin created seven tie breaker calculations, and from first to tenth place was only a difference of 11 points. Forty six hogs were entered from 23 different Colonies. Starlite Colony took the top spot again, they also won in 2022.
Dennis Stevenson, chair of the Pork Quality Competition shared some staggering statistics since PQC started back in 1996 over145,000 lbs of pork has been donated to charities, that’s over 650,000 meals. This year adding another 4621 kgs (0ver 10,000 lbs) to Siloam Mission and Harvest Manitoba. Charities are the biggest winner of the day with $25,500 being donated. Some of the recipients were Heart of Truth, Global Transformation Centre, Cancer Centre Manitoba Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Youth for Christ Portage, , The Heart Team,Portage District General Hospital Foundation, Selkirk Hospital Foundation, Beausejour Hospital Foundation and Down Syndrome Foundation. What a wonderful way for the hog sector to give back to communities.
Enjoy this edition which is once again jam packed with information.
As always, I am only a phone call or email away. Prairie Hog Country, Box 5536, Leduc, Alberta T9E 2A1, 780.986.0962, fax 780.980.9640 or email: hogcountry@shaw.ca. Talk to you in April. •