Postcards draw attention to Canadian wool

Oct 03, 2022

The federal government has released its policy framework designed to “strengthen and grow” Canada’s agriculture sector and some Canadian shepherds and processors think they know where some of those funds should go.

They are carrying out a postcard campaign that includes letters to federal and provincial government officials to attract more attention to the wool industry.

Manitoba sheep farmer Anna Hunter, owner of the province’s only wool mill, hopes to draw the attention of government officials and attract some funding for Canadian wool.

Like many in her industry, Hunter found herself swamped by custom processing orders sent with the bags of wool shipped from sheep farms across the Prairies. Faced with untenable turn-around times, she and her husband were forced to contact customers to tell them that wait times were longer than anticipated.

“That caused a lot of anger and frustration,” she said. “And rightly so.”

Hunter wrote a letter to her provincial and federal representatives, which caught the attention of sheep specialists from Manitoba’s department of agriculture who called Hunter looking for more information.

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Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.