PED-ASF Priorities One and Two Entering 2020

The Chair of Manitoba Pork says eradicating Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea and protecting herds from and preparing for African Swine Fever are priorities one and two entering 2020. Moving into the new year animal health remains top of mind among pork producers.

 

George Matheson, the Chair of Manitoba Pork, acknowledges 2019 saw some setbacks.

 

 

In regards to PED we'll have over 80 cases this year and that's what we had in 2017. In 2018 we ended up with 17 cases so we thought we were on the road to eradication of that disease but, for one reason or another, there were flare-ups again in regards to that virus and we're back to where we were so clearly we have to start approaching it a little differently if we wish to eradicate PED from the province.

 

On the world front African Swine Fever, of course, has been devastating so the continuation of the spread of African Swine Fever throughout the world is probably the number one issue for all pork producing nations and those who have not contracted the disease, and Canada is in that group, continue to do their best to keep it out of their country. At the same time we have to be cognizant that there is a reality that it could strike our country so we have to prepare in some way for the repercussions.

 

We always say we are going to hope for the best but plan for the worst. We will also continue our battle against PED. We feel that, because of our position geographically, that we should be able to clean it out of our province and keep it out.

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.