Banff Pork Seminar: addressing industry pressures

Jan 11, 2017

In the opening remarks, the seminar’s chair reflects on the pork industries’ need for new talent

The Banff Pork Seminar (BPS) is now underway, providing the opportunity for industry representatives to network and gain further education.

This year, the seminar began with a little pork industry motivation and challenge. Mark Chambers, chair of the BPS, provided an opening address which highlighted the industries’ need for attracting new talent, according to a release.

“To me, one striking concern is the lack of (new faces),” Chambers said in his address, while looking out at the attendees.

The pork industry at a production level is struggling with the lack of new industry members, according to Chambers, who has tackled industry recruitment himself.

"We have the stigma of modern farming and a lot of new activist groups putting pressure on farming so there is a growing lack of trust on farming practices,” said Chambers. “All of us in this room need to ensure we are focused and paying attention to attract new talent. Making sure we spin the positives of our industry to all possible new recruits.”

Mark Chambers Source: Meristem insideBPS

The industry provides quality, healthy products – a fact that is worth being shared, according to Chambers.

"We should not sell ourselves short and make sure each time we travel or meet someone we are blowing our industry's trumpet and our own on what we do for the public today to ensure they are fed safe, affordable and nutritious food.”

The issue of labour shortages in the industry follows suit with the theme of the BPS, "innovative and sustainable solutions for an evolving industry."

The industry has recently been pressured by disease threats, activist groups and the task of increasing meat consumption amidst activist encouragement to decrease natural resource usage, according to Chambers.

"We have top speakers to address all those issues and offer a wide range of practical advice that producers can take home and make improvements in their operations," he said.

The BPS includes multiple presentations, including a break-out session on the labour shortage. The seminar began Jan. 10 and continues to Jan. 12.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.