Grand Valley Fortifiers commits $15,000 to sponsor 4-H Ontario Swine Project Resource Update

Nov 09, 2021

ROCKWOOD, ONT. – In the Fall of 2021, 4-H Ontario received a $15,000 sponsorship from Grand Valley Fortifiers to update the 4-H Swine Project Resource. 4-H youth participating in the Swine Project will learn about swine husbandry as well as how to provide consumers with lean, nutritious pork. 4-H Ontario will receive $5,000 a year over the next three years to update this project resource.

“4-H Ontario is thankful for the support of Grand Valley Fortifiers to update this project resource,” says Marianne Fallis, Senior Manager Programming. “When looking at the swine industry there have been many advancements in animal husbandry practices, biosecurity, and animal tracing that need to be reflected in our resource. This support will ensure that the 4-H Ontario Swine Project will reflect the high standards of farmers in Canada when it comes to raising pigs and provide the information beneficial for our participants to Learn To Do By Doing.”

The existing 4-H Swine Project Resource was released in 2007. The 4-H Swine project resource update will include new innovations in swine housing and nutrition, updates to the national swine traceability system, current consumer trends and more, while ensuring that the high standards as set out in the Canadian National Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs are met and exceeded by our 4-H youth.

“Grand Valley Fortifiers is honoured to support this important 4-H initiative as we believe the education of young people interested in farming is extremely valuable for the future of Canadian agriculture and the development of Ontario’s youth. Canadian pork producers are some of the most effective and efficient producers of pork in the world and sharing this valuable knowledge of animal husbandry, biosecurity and nutrition with the next generation is key to the future success of our industry. It is a privilege to invest in young people through the proven 4-H model of Learn To Do By Doing,” says David Ross, VP & CMO at the GVF group.

The 4-H Swine Project is part of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security pillar, one of the four leadership development pillars identified by 4-H Canada. The goals associated with the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security pillar include giving 4-H’ers the opportunity to learn about food as a consumer and producer, explore innovative and sustainable farming practices, and discover news ways to improve nutrition and food security.

Source : 4-H Ontario

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.