WINTER 2015 Canadian Publication Mail No. 40062769 Inside this issue LABOUR CRISIS DEEPENS PEDv NOT OVER YET INDUSTRY EVENTS WELL-ATTENDED ™ ™ MAX THRUMAX THRU PUT -BECAUSE- PUT -BECAUSE- Genesus Genesus Duroc Duroc sired sired progeny progeny delivers delivers extraordinary extraordinary growth, growth, feed feed conversion conversion and and carcass carcass traits. traits. 1.85 1.85A.D.G. A.D.G. wean weanto to finishfinish - 2.489 - 2.489 feed feed conversion. conversion. MAXMAX THRU PUTPUT is is recognized recognized by byknowledgeable knowledgeable swine swine production production experts experts to be tomaximum be maximum way to enhanceway to enhanceprofitability. profit- ability. The ToTal Package www.genesus.com Genesus produces more pigs, better pigs and more profit for you. *Genesus customer record on file – Genesus Duroc bred to Genesus F1 females Red Deer Volume 36 | Number 3 Swine Technology Winter 2015 Date of Issue: January 2015 Workshop Page 32 Published quarterly by Alberta Pork with cooperation from the British Columbia Message from the Editor .......................................................................................4 Hog Marketing Commission, Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council News and Views ............................................................................................................6 Subscriptions Opinion For new subscriptions, change of The View from Grier..................................................................................................14 address or other subscription queries, please contact Alberta Pork Hot Issues Phone: 780-474-8288 PED heats up as days cool down ..........................................................................18 Fax: 780-479-5128 Agriculture’s labour crisis deepens ..................................................................... 22 Email: [email protected] Faces and Places Publications Mail Agreement Fall flurry at Alberta Pork .......................................................................................27 No. 40062769 Touring the Prairie Swine Centre ........................................................................ 30 Return Undeliverable Successful Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop .......................................32 Canadian Addresses to: Circulation Department Industry News 4828 - 89 Street Hog producers up to speed on PEDv research at expo ................................37 Edmonton, Alberta T6E 5K1 Manitoba Pork AGM ................................................................................................ 40 Publisher Production Darcy Fitzgerald Local inventor gains leg up on splay leg ...........................................................42 Business Manager Minding your manners ............................................................................................ 43 & Editorial Director Sheri Monk Research and Innovation Phone: 403-627-1828 Controlling the spread of airborne swine diseases ....................................... 46 Mobile: 403-627-9108 Feeding mycotoxin contaminated grains to swine ....................................... 50 [email protected] Assessing daily exposure risk of pig barn workers to airborne contaminants ............................................................................................................. 54 Advertising James Shaw Pork culture and trends 1 Burnhamthorpe Park Blvd. Your Daily Bacon ....................................................................................................... 59 Islington, Ontario Canada M9A 1H8 Ad Index ........................................................................................................................... 62 Phone: 416-231-1812 Fax: 416-233-4858 Email: [email protected] Cover Photo A sow in a group housing study being conducted at Saskatoon’s Prairie Swine Centre seems pleased to be a part of the research. Photo by Sheri Monk Western Hog Journal | Winter 2015 | 3 Better Message from the acidification. editor Since the last magazine came out, I’ve had the opportunity to go to quite a few industry events. I took in the Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop, the Alberta Pork AGM and the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium. It was like night and day compared to the first events I started attending two years ago. The enthusiasm and optimism in the air was palpable. The energy was high, and people were amicable. It was a beautiful thing to see, and it made me so happy to have the privilege of sharing it with everyone. PED is obviously still a big concern, and it’s reassuring to see that producers and industry remain committed to and focused on continuing to forge strong biosecurity protocols. I had the opportunity to tour the Prairie Swine Centre just outside A unique blend of organic of Saskatoon – what a fascinating place! It was the first time I had showered in and showered out of a facility, and it was really and inorganic acids approved interesting to see the variety and the depth of research the centre is capable of performing. What an incredible resource to the for use by CFIA for powerful Canadian hog industry – it’s wonderful to know producers and other partners see the value this brings to the table. water acidification. I’m also pretty excited that the Western Hog Journal won a national journalism award from the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation. It was a third place award in the category of Monthly Press Reporting for the article “Interview with an activist”. That article was published in fall of 2013 and was based off an interview with the animal rights organization Mercy For Animals Canada – the same group that infiltrated the Western Hog Exchange just a few months ago. I also won first place for an opinion column that was published in Alberta Beef magazine. It’s always an honour to have your The original acid blend. work recognized, but I’m especially pleased with it because it demonstrates that trade-specific magazines can do – and have a responsibility to do – real, quality journalism. That’s an element I really wanted to be able to deliver for the readers of the Western Hog Journal, and to have had some small initial success is pretty exciting! I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone again at the Banff Pork Symposium, and to meeting new folks as well! Please feel free to come and introduce yourself – it’s very easy for me to be extroverted in the pages of a magazine, but I confess I can be a little shy at big events. As well, I will have a survey at the Alberta Pork booth to get some feedback from our readers and advertising partners on the magazine. Here’s hoping 2015 will be another exciting and rewarding year for everyone involved in this industry. Distributed by: HALCHEMIX CANADA INC. Happy New Year! n 1-800-540-4756 [email protected] 4 | Western Hog Journal | Winter 2015 MONTEBANா CAN MONTEBAN CAN… add more weight1,2 MONTEBAN CAN… improve feed effi ciency1 MONTEBAN CAN… perform in today’s pigs The label contains complete use information, including cautions and warnings. Always read, understand and follow the label and use directions. 1 Merrill, J., Dick, P. et al. July 1995. The effect of narasin at 15 ppm on the growth performance of growing- fi nishing pigs. Meeting of the Canadian Society of Animal Science. Ottawa. 2 Elanco. 2011. Clinical Study (GCP): The Effectiveness of Narasin on Growth Performance When Fed to Swine During the Grow-Finish Period. Elanco Study Report. Data on fi le. 1-361. Elancoா, Montebanா and the diagonal bar are all trademarks owned or licenced by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries or affi liates. © 2014 Elanco Animal Health. All rights reserved. Used under licence by ELANCO/Division of Eli Lilly Canada Inc. 1-800-773-7603 CASWIMTB00006 www.elanco.ca Creative:Clients:Elanco:2913-23557 Monteban Swine Ad for Banff Pork Seminar:2913-23557 2014 Monteban swine ad_Western Hog Journal_v03.indd December 16, 2014 10:29 AM In addition to all 100 FCC offices involves driving a tractor and trailer across Canada collecting food and cash through various communities to collect News donations, tractor tours also took place food and cash donations for food banks the week of October 13 in Alberta, across the country. One hundred per cent Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, of donations go to Canadian food banks. and Views Saskatchewan, and at FCC’s corporate office in Regina to pick up donations in from these communities. David Holland and Far and FCC also donated $100,000 to Food Banks Chris Wilcox Join the Canada. Half of this amount will be Nutrinsic executive Near dedicated to the Rural Support Program, team which provides additional support and resources to food banks based in rural Nutrinsic Corporation (www.nutrinsic. communities. The remaining $50,000 will com) announced in October that David be used by Food Banks Canada to support Holland and Chris Wilcox have joined the FCC Drive Away Hunger executive team. Holland has been named collects over five million individuals and families who use food bank services. vice president of operations and Wilcox pounds of food has been named vice president of sales Partners are a major contributor to success. and business development for the rapidly Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) Drive Away Two platinum partners were BDO, one growing Colorado-based company. Hunger collected more than five million of the leading accounting and advisory pounds of food during last year’s 11th firms in Canada and TMF Foods Ltd., a Mr. Wilcox is a successful venture founder annual food drive. value added processor