(With reporting by Ryan Drury)
Joseph Kerns and David McInnes were among the main speakers at the recent Ontario Pork annual meeting in Guelph.
Kerns is with Kerns and Associates, an agricultural consultancy out of Iowa.
McInnes is President of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.
Kerns’ presentation focused heavily on the long-term financial landscape of the pork industry, specifically with regards to feed prices. In 2014, for the first time in history, corn, wheat and beans experienced record yields in the same year. Based on that stat, Kerns predicted that the price of feed, specifically beans, will drop significantly in the near future.
Kerns also made note of the animal welfare programs that want to see the pork industry fail, and stated these movements actually offer an opportunity for farmers to show through good animal care practices that pork is a safe, eco friendly and viable option for consumers world wide.
David McInnes echoed very similar points, and offered advice on such things as new drug policies, and the new “clean food” movement being marketed by corporations such as Macdonald’s.
McInnes main address was China, specifically how Canada needs to try and tap into that market with respect to pork exports. China currently imports over 70% of their in state meat, from countries like Australia and Italy, but not Canada. The Canadian pork market has “a great opportunity” in China according to McInnes, and can become more involved by offering a “safe, quality, and well maintained product worldwide.”
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Joseph Kerns spoke to farmers about the upcoming financial climate in the pork industry and offered advice for producers on moving forward and driving their profitability.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/KERNS-Pork-1.mp3"][/audio]
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David McInnes believes it's important Canada get more involved in China.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/KERNS-Pork-2.mp3"][/audio]
