The program director with the Banff Pork Seminar says the 2013 conference will focus on the challenges facing members of the pork value chain as a result of recent changes within the industry.
The Banff Pork Seminar is held annually to introduce new information to members of the pork value chain and to provide networking opportunities.
The 2013 edition is slated for January 15-17.
Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra, an Animal Science Professor with the University of Alberta and the program director with the Banff Pork Seminar, says the conference has been held in Banff for 30 years plus and attracts registrants from around the world.
The entire value chain is being represented.
There’s people from genetics companies, people from equipment companies, people from feed companies and of course a main segment of the audience as well are the key people in the industry, what this is all about, and that are the pork producers themselves.
The primary theme of this year’s meeting is “The Challenge of Change.”
We came up with that name because this year like a few other recent years continues to highlight that the western Canadian or the Canadian pork industry is undergoing tremendous changes as a result of changes in feed costs, that would be one, changes in how the industry is organized and also how we have continual challenges with how to come up with better animal welfare systems, better productions systems and also continue to be challenged on having good access for markets for the pork that is being produced in Canada.
Dr. Zijlstra says the seminar typically attracts about 600 registrants, mostly from Canada, a few people from Europe, some from the United States and even from the far east but last year that number reached about 650.
For more information on the 2013 conference or to register visit banffpork.ca.
