Updated: Euthanized 1,300 Piglets Case Continues

Aug 30, 2012

Manitoba Pig Farm Animal Cruelty Investigation Disturbing

The case against the Manitoba pig farm under investigation for animal cruelty continues. Until now, the name of the farm was unknown and it’s been found that HP Farm Equipment in Winkler, Manitoba is the farm under investigation. The farm operation is managed by two brothers - Bernie and Menno Bergen. Some have said that the brothers have been experiencing financial hardships over the past several years.

An anonymous call from a concerned citizen prompted the investigation that began last Friday, where local authorities euthanized 1,300 after finding them under severe stress. The images are disturbing - there were bins of dead piglet carcasses. The incident has shocked the agriculture community and the Manitoba Pork Council has come out and said that hog farmers are in a desperate situation with the prices of feed skyrocketing - losing on average $50 per pig.

"Producers are under a lot of financial pressure to react to the high cost of feeding their hogs right now, it's very difficult for them when there's no economic return," said Doug Chorney, spokesperson for Keystone Agriculture Producers.

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.