The Manitoba Pork Hog Quality Competition was among yesterday’s highlights at the 2010 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon.
Carcasses are assessed according to a range of meat quality attributes.
A portion of the prize money awarded to the top five exhibitors is donated to the charity of the winner’s choice and all of the meat is distributed to food banks throughout the province.
Manitoba Pork Council Chair Karl Kynoch says the public needs to be aware of the high quality product being produced and this event allows producers to showcase that product.
Manitoba pork is a very large player in the global scheme of things.
We bring a lot of dollars back to this province.
I think what a lot of people don’t realize is actually we ship pork product out of this country and the past four years we’ve actually shipped to 45 different countries just here out of Manitoba alone and that is just phenomenal to be able to bring that kind of GDP back to this province.
Over the last few years we’ve been really focusing on trying to bring back the connect of agriculture to the urban people and we’re starting to see some positive results.
When we get into the cities we’re starting to see people talk a lot more positively of agriculture and actually understand what we’re doing.
In the past we’ve even had people coming up and wondering why some levels of government seem to be coming down fairly hard handed on agriculture.
I think we’re starting to win over the public, it’s been very positive and we’ve heard a lot of positive feedback.
Kynoch says consumers have access to a world class product that’s produced locally.
Hidden Valley Colony of Justice topped this year’s competition claiming awards for both the first and fourth placed carcasses.
The top five was rounded out by New Rosedale Colony of Portage La Prairie with the second placed carcass, Wellwood Colony of Ninette claiming third and Iberville Colony of Elie in fifth.
Source: Farmscape.Ca
