Consider for a second the first car ever built, the Ford Model T. The Model T may have moved people from point A to point B, but it was inefficient, rigid, required plenty of fuel, and couldn’t move all the things we need today’s cars to move. Since then, engineers at Ford and all major car manufacturers have done copious amounts of research, development, testing, and skill building, producing cars that bear nearly zero resemblance to the Model T, using processes, skills, and technology Henry Ford could never have fathomed.
Now, consider today’s hog barns. The care and raising of pigs bears little resemblance to how it looked in the days of the Model T, because hog farmers and the entire sector share something in common with these car companies — a commitment to continuous improvement. In a shorter amount of time than the transition from the Model T to today’s cars, the Canadian pork sector has become a global leader when it comes to reducing emissions. A 2017 study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations found that our pork sector produces far less carbon than other pork-producing parts of the world, including Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
Part of that commitment to continuous improvement is led by Swine Innovation Porc (SIP), a Canadian non-profit that facilitates national research and disseminates practical research insights to the Canadian pork sector. SIP provides national leadership in research, development and knowledge transfer to enhance the competitiveness of Canadian pork producers and processors by putting science into practice. Since 2010, SIP has funded and supported 75 projects involving 150 researchers and 30 research institutions from across the country.
“Swine Innovation Porc works closely with pork producers and their organizations, like Manitoba Pork, to find ways to leverage research dollars to help meet the opportunities and challenges of raising pigs across Canada,” explains Swine Innovation Porc general manager Daniel Ramage. “Our primary goal after that is to take the high-quality research being done across the country and help producers apply it to their farm, where ultimately they enhance sustainability and drive increased productivity at the same time.”
SIP funds research in a wide variety of areas, including environmental sustainability. Some of their ongoing projects include decreasing greenhouse gas emissions with precision feeding techniques, further reducing the environmental footprint of pigs, as well as better optimizing phosphorus and nitrogen produced to fertilize grain crops. These projects include researchers from all levels of government, as well as highly accredited research and educational institutions across the country like the University of Manitoba and the Prairie Swine Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.
In 2023 alone, Manitoba’s hog farmers contributed nearly $400,000 towards research and institutional funding, bringing their total investment since 1999 to over $12 million. These funds go to organizations like Swine Innovation Porc, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, and the Prairie Swine Centre. Manitoba Pork, the organization representing Manitoba’s 600 hog farms, proudly supports the sustainability work of these institutions.
Science-based information is the foundation of sustainable action, and hog farmers’ deep commitment to research has led to vast improvements in the sustainability of raising pigs. The sector’s greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by about 35% in the last five decades, and the total natural resources used in pork production are estimated to be down by almost 50% in the same time frame. That includes using 40% less water, 33% less feed, and as much as 59% less land for every kilogram of pork produced. Barn improvements like LED lighting, high-efficiency heat sources, and better insulation have helped farmers substantially reduce power consumption.
“We know that driving innovation on-farm is important to producers in Manitoba and across the country,” added Ramage. “That innovation has led to remarkable advancements in how pigs are raised, better safeguarding our natural resources for future generations, all while raising top quality pork that feeds the world.”
Above all, farmers recognize the importance of being good stewards of the land, water, and air — their livelihoods are directly tied to the quality of the natural resources around them. To produce the food we all depend on, farmers know that sustainability and innovation must go hand in hand. Hog farmers from across our province utilize technological advances and emerging best practices to reduce their carbon and environmental footprints while ensuring that Manitoba pork is raised to the highest standard.
Research and innovation have meant that Manitoba’s hog sector has vastly improved both its sustainability and pork quality. Much like those engineers building finely tuned new cars, hog producers are driven by a commitment to continuous improvement and dedication to efficiency, all while protecting our natural resources.
To learn more, visit manitobapork.com/environment
