Posted on 02/28/2009, 11:14 am, by The AgriPost

The Board of Directors of Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op and SPI Marketing Group are pleased to announce the establishment of a new company that will provide hog marketing services.

The new company, h@ms (Hog Administrative Marketing Services) will provide marketing, procurement, settlement, in-transit insurance and risk management services for the parent companies. Although the Head Office will be located in Winnipeg with a satellite office in Saskatoon, the comprehensive service package offered by h@ms will not be limited to producers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The parent companies (MPMC and SPI) will continue to operate and provide direction to h@ms via a Board of Directors that will consist of representatives from both provinces.

The company h@ms is expected to be fully operational by January 1, 2010; however, some services are already being offered under the h@ms umbrella!

“We see no reason to limit the service package to Manitoba and Saskatchewan producers and hope producers and industry participants in other provinces will see the great benefits and value that h@ms has to offer as a hog marketing service,” said John Preun, President of Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op.

“We also think there is potential in the future for processors to find value in the services provided by h@ms”, stated Don Kolla, Chairman of the Board for SPI.

Don Hrapchak, General Manager of SPI stated, “The economic performance of the industry has pushed producers to be creative to minimize costs over the last few years, and we (MPMC and SPI) felt our contribution to this would be the consolidation of services. This move will enable both organizations to continue to provide a high level of service at a reduced cost.”

“This project has taken a considerable amount of time and effort and we are excited that our efforts have finally reached fruition. The joint effort ensures that producers/members will be well represented for many years to come,” said Perry Mohr, Chief Executive Officer of MPMC.

Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op and SPI Marketing Group is producer owned organizations that represent over 500 producers that market approximately two million hogs annually.