Ontario Pork Congress Annual Meeting report

Oct 29, 2024
By Andrew Joseph
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

Photo above: The new OPC Executive Committee for 2025 was also formerly introduced: (Back Row L-R) Matt Aarts, Doug Ahrens, Drew De Bruyn, and Kirk McLean. (Front Row L-R) Abel Lopez, David Ross, Henry Groenestege, Joe Dwyer (on the tablet), Victoria Stewart.

The Ontario Pork Congress Annual Meeting was held on October 22, 2024, at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford, Ontario, with over 35 people attending.

At the event, the association revealed the winner of its Ontario Pork Industry Leadership Award—Tara Terpstra, a Huron County pork producer who is currently Chair of Ontario Pork.

The OPC Pork Industry Leadership Award is awarded to an individual who has given freely of their time and provided distinguished service to the Ontario pork industry. It is open to research, extension, education, and industry personnel involved in any facet of pork production, promotion, and marketing.

Unfortunately, Terpstra was unable to attend the annual meeting, but Veronica Anderson—who works for Topigs Norsvin Canada, and who nominated her—will present the award to her later.

Financial rewards were also announced regarding the OPIC Hog Jog, which was held again in conjunction with the 2024 Ontario Pork Congress. Over $67,000 was raised for the Rotary Hospice Stratford Perth Serenity Garden project. More information is available at www.hogjog.ca.

Also announced was the new OPC Executive Committee for 2025:

President: Kirk McLean;
1st Vice President: Victoria Stewart;
2nd Vice President: Henry Groenestege;
Secretary: Joe Dwyer;
Treasurer: Matt Aarts;
Director: Abel Lopez;
Director: David Ross;
Director: Drew De Bruyn;
Director: Doug Ahrens.

At the meeting, upcoming details for the 2025 Ontario Pork Congress were discussed.

The 2025 Ontario Pork Congress will be held June 18-19, 2025, at the Stratford Rotary Complex in Stratford, Ontario.

In store at the 2025 Ontario Pork Congress:

The Food and Hospitality tent will be back by popular demand this year; look for even more atmosphere, an opportunity to network, and great Ontario pork to eat;
The popular Taste the Best event will once again take place on the first day of the show;
The Bacon Maker Classic will be back with an Adult Showmanship class and will include a separate Education Area. This event will be held in a separate tent on the afternoon of June 19.
NOTE: There will be no live hogs on the show grounds until the second day of the show.

For information on the Ontario Pork Congress, visit www.porkcongress.on.ca.

Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!