Reading Time: < 1 minute The next edition of the Banff Pork Seminar will be an in-person event. However, presentations will be recorded so attendees of the Jan. 10-12 conference can view them online afterward. “This is one way delegates can be sure they get every bit of information from these industry leading presenters,” said Ashley Steeple, coordinator of the […] Read more

Pork seminar back in Banff, and in person

Simple but effective device wins pork innovation award
Invention allows blood samples to be drawn from pigs safely and without undue stress to animals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba veterinarian Jewel White and two colleagues at a Maple Leaf Foods hog farm in Manitoba are the winners of this year’s F. X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production for creating something they call the “Backspacer Device.” The invention is simple but significantly improves animal care and worker safety in pork barns during blood […] Read more

Pork seminar adopts dual format
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Banff Pork Seminar will be a hybrid conference this winter. Organizers are planning to have live broadcast of the plenary sessions, with breakout sessions to be taped and available following the Jan. 11-13 event. “The safety of our delegates is of utmost importance, and we are taking steps to ensure that in-person delegates have […] Read more

Contaminated feed a risk that can’t be ignored, says expert
It’s clear that viruses, including African swine fever, can be transmitted via feed ingredients
Reading Time: 3 minutes New research is showing that animal feed can carry viruses, including the one that causes African swine fever. It’s a threat that must be thwarted, Scott Dee, veterinarian and director of applied research for Minnesota-based Pipestone Veterinary Services, told attendees at the virtual 2021 Banff Pork Seminar in January. “We’ve got to work together,” said […] Read more

Pork innovators urged to enter contest
Entry deadline Oct. 31
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Banff Pork Seminar is going virtual this year but the tradition of awarding the FX Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production will continue. The contest is open to anyone who has developed an innovation — big or small — that is relevant to the North American pork industry. “The creativity and innovation of entries […] Read more
Aherne Prize winners announced
Reading Time: < 1 minute A low-stress restraint for pigs and a device to reduce pre-wean mortality were the co-winners of this year’s F. X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production presented earlier this month at the Banff Pork Seminar. The Hammock Swine Restraint Device was developed by Tess Faulkner and Gillian Greaves of South West Ontario Veterinary Services. It […] Read more

North American pork innovation entries wanted
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Banff Pork Seminar is accepting applications for the Dr. F.X. Aherne Prize for Pork Innovation. It is open to anyone who has developed an innovation relevant to the North American pork industry, including feeding; breeding; ventilation; disease control and prevention; transportation; manure management; animal handling; facility or enterprise management; and pork quality and safety. […] Read more
Banff Pork Seminar offers ‘powerhouse program’
Reading Time: < 1 minute The 47th Banff Pork Seminar from Jan. 9 to 11 at the Banff Springs Hotel will once again have a “powerhouse program,” says co-chair, Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra of the University of Alberta. It will feature “innovation, latest technology, challenging thinking on the big issues of the day combined with production information that producers can implement […] Read more
Know an innovator in the pork sector?
Entry deadline for F.X. Aherne Prize is Oct. 31
Reading Time: < 1 minute There’s still time to nominate someone for the 2018 F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production. The award recognizes individuals who have developed either original solutions to pork production challenges or found creative uses for known technology. Innovations big or small, complex or simple in areas such as feeding, breeding, ventilation, disease control/prevention, transportation, animal […] Read more

The future continues to look bright for pork producers
While it’s not entirely smooth sailing, the ‘optimistic sentiment’ in the industry is well founded, two experts told the Banff Pork Seminar
Reading Time: 3 minutes The animal welfare issue won’t derail a positive outlook for Canada’s pork industry, says an American agriculture economist. “There is a very optimistic sentiment today in the entire pork industry — I think we’re going to expand pork production throughout North America,” Glynn Tonsor of Kansas State University said at the recent 2015 Banff Pork […] Read more