Maple Leaf Foods Set to Buy Manitoba Hog Company Puratone for $42 Million

Nov 05, 2012

Maple Leaf to Soon Own 30 Percent of Brandon, Manitoba’s Hog Supply

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. bought Puratone Corporation, a Manitoba hog producer for $42 million; the deal includes livestock and facilities. Puratone runs and operates 50 pig barns in Manitoba, operates three feed mills and produces approximately 500,000 hogs annually.

"This acquisition will ensure a consistent supply of hogs to our processing facility in Brandon, which is an integral supplier to our value added prepared meats and pork business," said Michael McCain, president and CEO.

Maple Leaf anticipates that a legal agreement will be reached by the end of the month, as the deal is subject to both court and regulatory approvals. If the deal is legally successful, it will give Maple Leaf ownership of roughly 30 percent of the hog supply in Brandon, Manitoba.

The announcement comes in the midst of Maple Leaf reporting on Wednesday, that company’s net earnings fell to $32.6 million representing 22 cents per share in the third quarter.

"This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to securing a strong future for our value added pork operations in Manitoba, which are a vital part of the province's economy,” McCain said in a statement.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.