Farmscape for November 18, 2009   (Episode 3352)

The general manager of the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board says the organization's newly installed board of directors will be focusing on a several key objectives over the next year.

Over the past year the number of sows in Saskatchewan has fallen by about 15 thousand to approximately 93 thousand while the number of operating hog farms has fallen to under 200.

Sask Pork general manager Neil Ketilson told those on hand yesterday for the organization's annual general meeting it's all about price and something needs to be done to improve revenues.

Clip-Neil Ketilson-Saskatchewan Pork Development Board:
First of all we would really make sure that we are as competitive as we possibly can so competitiveness will be a real issue.

As part of that the present government programs and how they're structured and what they do for people will be an important part of that whole thing.

The second thing is we need to be more engaged in the marketing of the product both domestic as well as international so we'll cooperate with Canadian Pork International as well as Pork Marketing Canada and see if can't get the impetus to get people in Canada buying more Canadian pork and more of it so that'll be a major push.

We always work very closely with the Canadian Pork Council and so that'll be an important initiative because the model within the provinces as well as federally will change over time and we would like to be involved in that transition.

The last thing I think we need to do is, over the long term, we really need to have a packing plant in this province to solidify the production growth possibility and the potential that we have so that will remain an objective although it's a very difficult one and we'll be taking baby steps on that.

Ketilson notes the organization's newly installed board of directors will be meeting in the near future for a strategic planning session to set objectives.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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