Manitoba Pork GM Says 2021 Definitely An Interesting Year

Jan 03, 2022

Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says 2021 was definitely an interesting year.

"There was a lot to deal with," he said. "Whether it was the impact of COVID, and of course some of that is ongoing. We're dealing with a PED outbreak at the end of the year. Feed costs as a result of the drought. It's been a really interesting year for farmers. That applies to farmers in all sectors in Manitoba. I think the word that I would use is uncertainty. Looking forward to 2022, that's probably the word that would be at the top of my list as well."

Dahl noted there are new barns going up across the province.

"There is continued growth. In 2021, we saw about a five per cent increase in production in pigs in Manitoba, that's a good sign."

He commented on the year ahead.

"Longer term, looking at responding to some of the public trust issues. We've just gone through a renewal of our strategic plan and it was a really good process to see where we need to focus on and some of the issues would be answering that public question of where does my food come from and how is it produced."

Dahl says they'll continue to monitor the African swine fever situation spreading across the globe.

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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.