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What's the Secret to Economic Resiliency in the Pork Industry?

One thing economists are particularly bad at is predicting what the future holds for the economy or specific market trends. Still, economists find gainful employment making predictions. The reason comes down to economic resiliency. 

Everyone is hoping to obtain a bit of information that will help them make better decisions and maintain profitability even when times get tough. Knowing if prices will be up or down would certainly be a tremendous advantage, but the real secret to economic resiliency lies much closer to home than we might realize.

WHAT IS ECONOMIC RESILIENCE?

Before we proceed, let’s clear up the term economic resilience. In general, resilience is the ability of a system to continue operating after sustaining a shock. In economic terms there are two aspects, static and dynamic resiliency, each describing a different response to sustaining a shock. 

Static resiliency is the ability of a system to continue to use resources efficiently after a shock, and dynamic resiliency is the speed with which a system can return to maximum output after the shock. In simple terms, static resilience is how well your business can take a hit, and dynamic resilience is how quickly your business gets back to normal after the hit.

PREPARE FOR PROFITABILITY SHOCKS

With this definition in mind, we can see how economic resiliency does not lie in better knowledge of future events but rather in preparedness for the arrival of shocks to profitability. One of the best examples is found in your farm’s disease management practices. Disease has a significant influence on long-term profitability. Disease management is one of the most important tactics to improve and protect profits. Keeping disease out falls under static economic resilience, while effective treatment, stabilization and recovery falls under dynamic economic resilience.

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A Day in the Life of a Barn Manager

Video: A Day in the Life of a Barn Manager


We go behind the scenes with Travis, a dedicated barn manager in Manitoba’s hog sector. He plays a key role in making sure pigs are well cared for, that operations run smoothly, and that his team stays safe and supported.

Discover how the role of a barn manager fits into the wider story of the pork industry’s impact in our province:
Over 22,000 Manitobans depend on the hog sector for for a high-quality, well-paying job.
The sector contributes more than $2.3 billion annually to Manitoba’s GDP.
It accounts for roughly 55% of all agriculture & food-manufacturing jobs in the province.

Want to explore a career in this fast-moving, meaningful industry? Visit www.manitobapork.com/careers to learn about opportunities, training pathways, and how you can be part of it too.