2025 Alberta Pork Congress Unites Industry with Innovation and Community Spirit

Jun 23, 2025

The 2025 Alberta Pork Congress, held this June in Red Deer, brought together producers, innovators, and industry leaders for two days of connection, collaboration, and celebration. With 82 exhibitors on the trade show floor, attendees had the opportunity to explore the latest advancements in pork production technology and services.

The event’s positive energy extended beyond business, with key highlights including a banquet and awards ceremony attended by 275 guests—honoring excellence and leadership in Alberta’s pork sector. Community engagement remained front and center, with over 500 lunches served and 325 guests enjoying a lively BBQ.

As a longstanding pillar of the Western Canadian pork calendar, the Alberta Pork Congress once again proved its value in strengthening industry relationships and showcasing progress across the sector.

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Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.