Farmscape for April 1, 2008  (Episode 2797)

An official with Humboldt based Big Sky Farms is convinced the availability of primary processing capacity is key to the long term sustainability of Saskatchewan's pork industry.

The Saskatchewan Slaughter Plant Initiative, an effort headed by Fishing Lake First Nation, to bring a one million head per year capacity hog slaughtering plant to Saskatoon remains on track.

Florian Possberg, the director of industry relations with Big Sky Farms and one of the initiative's directors, says, despite the difficult times, Saskatchewan is a good place to raise hogs.

Clip-Florian Possberg-Big Sky Farms

It is difficult times for the hog industry right now, there's no question about it and the idea of Saskatchewan continuing to work on a processing plant probably is scoffed at by many around North America and quite frankly around the globe.

But one of the things that the First Nations folks told me that kind of stuck with me that they really look at things in terms of seven generations, taking experience from what happened with your parents and your grandparents, what you're doing currently and what you'll do for your children and what you'll do for your children's children so seven generations.

I think the First Nations are looking at what the opportunities will be for their children and their children's children and putting some emphasis on a sustainable food supply is really quite important.

It's a valuable way to look at things and something that I think we can think about in a positive light for where we're producing food here in Saskatchewan.

Possberg believes the planned Saskatoon packing plant is really the first step toward creating a sustainable food production system to create a legacy  for generations to come.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council