Better Pork asked the agriculture minister (and Ontario’s new Premier) for her views on the challenges we face and her vision for the future of our industry
by KATHLEEN WYNNE
There is a Stetson sitting on a desk in my office, not far from a group of framed pictures of my granddaughters.
by RANDY DUFFY
The recent news involving animal welfare at Puratone’s farm in Manitoba and the ongoing demonstrations that Quality Meat Packers faces in Toronto from animal rights activists are just two examples that show the Canadian pork industry is facing the same challenges as the U.S. pork industry.
by RANDY DUFFY
Two of the biggest challenges facing the pork industry are high feed costs and the elimination of gestation crates. High feed costs are currently the most pressing issue. The South American corn and soybean harvest in early 2013 and next fall’s U.S. crop should hopefully bring costs down.
The parallels between Prohibition and the animal welfare movement are chilling and consumers will pay the price
by CURTISS LITTLEJOHN
Changes in pork production and consumption in Ontario point to the success of our industry’s exports
by RANDY DUFFY
In 2011, Ontario’s annual total pig production (hogs processed in Canada plus live pig exports to the United States) was estimated to be 6.1 million head or 117,000 per week from an average sow inventory of 343,000. It is interesting that these figures are similar to where the industry was at in 2000. However, between 2000 and 2011 industry trends have changed.
Land value increases over 10 years have been matched by productivity as measured in better corn yields
by RANDY DUFFY
Better Pork’s December cover story prompted an angry response from one reader. Here’s what he had to say
by ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN
The cover story in Better Pork’s December issue caused a stir. It was about sow gestation stalls and the National Farmers Union (NFU) in Manitoba joining with an activist group to have them banned by 2017. The matter was going to be discussed at a national NFU convention in London.
Industry downsizing has been painful for producers but it has helped prices
by RANDY DUFFY
The Canadian hog industry has undergone a restructuring by significantly downsizing. Since Jan. 1, 2005 the total Canadian breeding herd has shrunk by 300,000 sows (19 per cent) from the peak of 1.6 million head. In Ontario, sow numbers have decreased 90,000 head (21 per cent) from the peak of 433,000 during the same period.
Comparison of close to a year’s data suggests that Ontario producers in 2011 do have price equivalency with U.S. producers
by RANDY DUFFY
Ontario’s hog supply, relative to processing demand, has changed significantly over time. Ontario has shifted from a region producing many more hogs than were processed within the province to today’s situation where hog production is much more in balance with processing. In 2011, Ontario processors have found that they have had to pay more to procure hogs.
Our governments and consumers have high expectations of this industry and its ability to survive, but they place obstacles in the way that make it difficult for it to compete in the actual marketplace
by CURTISS LITTLEJOHN
In his book, “Fixing the Game,” Rodger Martin examines the way executives receive compensation based on the expectations market (or stock value) and the real market (or the old fashioned concept that if the company produces products that consumers buy, there will be rewards based on profits.)
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