CPC Fall Meeting a Success

Nov 05, 2014

Ottawa, ON - Canadian Pork Council Chair Jean-GuyVincent is pleased with the successful fall meeting that was recently held in Ottawa. Producers from across Canada met over two days to help shape the future of the industry and address the many challenges and opportunities for the next year.

Members had the opportunity to update participants on the status of their provincial industry, discuss strategies on the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) and hear details on how labour availability is affecting the meat processing sector.A discussion also took place on swine health, the implementation of the PigTrace traceability program and efforts to establish a national promotion and research agency.

CPC recently commissioned a paper on the financial situation faced by the hog and pork sector for the fall meeting.
The paper highlighted:
·Despite current historically strong returns to hog farmers, they have not yet replenished industry equity lost during the previous seven years,
·Current profits are a least in part due to the production impact of the PEDv disease in the U.S.

·Prices could come under strong downward pressure in 2016 if production increases in North America as much as amount conditions encourage.

CPC's Board of Directors also held elections to choose the Chair and Vice-Chairs for 2015. Rick Bergmann, a Manitoba producer, was elected as Chair and will assume this position at the first meeting of the CPC Board in January, 2015.Bill Wymenga from Ontario, was elected as 1st Vice-Chair and Frank Novak from Alberta was elected at 2nd Vice-Chair.

"I thank you all for your support for the past three years, it is quite clear to me that pork farmers from all across Canada share the same abiding commitment of providing consumers a nutritious, save and affordable food supply," said Jean-Guy Vincent, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council."The Board of Directors has invested a great deal this year in all of the issues while maintaining as a priority the members' needs.We need to work together, perform better and review the way we work at all levels so that we can remain competitive in markets here in Canada and abroad."

The CPC serves as the national voice for hog producers in Canada. A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations, our organization's purpose is to play a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.

Source: CPC

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.