Manitoba Pork AGM Audio Special

Apr 16, 2015

Manitoba Pork AGM Audio Special for April 16, 2015

-Jeff Clark, the manager of PigTrace Canada, provides an update on swine traceability and compliance with new mandatory reporting of swine movements.
Feature Runs: 6:56

-Michael McCain, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf, outlines challenges facing the pork industry and the need to balance production and processing.
Feature Runs 5:08

-Weldon Newton, a former Neepawa area pork producer discusses his reasons for existing the industry and the provincial government's new special pilot project permit evaluation protocol.
Feature Runs: 6:32

-Karl Kynoch, the outgoing chair of Manitoba Pork, discusses highlights of his 11 years in that role.
Feature Runs: 5:10

-Dr. Joe Schwarcz, a professor of chemistry and director of the Office for Science and Society with McGill University, discusses the role of science in agriculture and pseudo science being circulated by activists.
Feature Runs: 7:57

Christine Kynoch, the wife of outgoing Manitoba Pork chair Karl Kynoch discusses the quilt she made which raised $20,000 for Ronald McDonald House.
Feature Runs: 2:46

Source: Farmscape

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.