Prairie Swine Centre closing

[Oscar]

May 14, 2008

Prairie Swine Interpretive Centre, with its deep clean straw pig pens and its well-ventilated observation deck (provided for visitors, esp. school children to see how pigs are 'really' raised) received many thousands of government dollars .... industry's and government's experimental and Public Relations Project!

See list of funding for just the period of 2000-2006 and Pork Board Annual Report 2005-2006 below.

Elaine Hughes

======================================

PSC Research Farm Operations to Be temporarily Suspended

http://www.farmscape.ca/f2ShowScript.as ... +Suspended

Farmscape for May 14, 2008 (Episode 2846)

The extended economic downturn in Canada's pork industry has prompted officials of the PSC Research Farm to temporarily suspend the operation of its Elstow, Saskatchewan research facility.

The PSC Research Farm, a subsidiary of the Saskatoon based Prairie Swine Centre, is a 600 sow farrow to finish facility designed to support research in a commercial-style barn.

Prairie Swine Centre and PSC Research Farm president and CEO Dr. John Patience says operations at Elstow will wind down beginning this week and the last pigs will be shipped in early September.

Clip-Dr. John Patience-Prairie Swine Centre

Most of the research will run its course and be completed before the animals are marketed but there will be some experiments that unfortunately will have to be stopped.

Any research that might have been done at Elstow over the next period of time when it's closed, we will attempt to do at the Prairie Swine Centre which is a completely separate facility and separate organization but obviously our ability to do the quantity of research and the ability to do research of the type that we were doing at Elstow will be removed for a period of time and that's particularly unfortunate because when we look at the history of the research undertaken at PSC Elstow Research Farm since 2000 when it was opened, it's been very popular with the industry, like group housing of sows, large group housing in grow finish, the effect of Paylean on the eating quality of pork, autosort technology, those kinds of things which are pretty close to the commercial reality of our industry.

But because we wanted to create a commercial like environment it also is exposed to the vagaries of the market place and unfortunately this down tune in the economy was too long for the company to sustain.

Dr. Patience says, while there are indications that the economics of pork production could turn around by the summer of 2009, it's premature to estimate how long operations at Elstow will remain closed.

He notes, the irony is that there is still lots of interest in research, most critically research that focuses on reducing costs and improving income.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council

====================================

Prairie Swine Centre – CARDS funding – 2000-2006

Hydrogen Sulphide Awareness Workshop - Prairie Swine Centre Inc.

To develop a one-day workshop on the topic of hydrogen sulphide awareness for hog barn employees. The project will consist of curriculum development, student manual, quiz development, practical demonstration with detection and rescue equipment and the development of a 10 minute video. The workshop's objective is to increase the safety of all individuals working in a hog barn by increasing awareness of the properties of hydrogen sulphide, dangerous locations and testing for hydrogen sulphide and pressure.

Date Approved: October 26, 2000
Project Cost: $30,000.00 CARDS Funding: $13,500.00

=============================================

Hydrogen Sulphide Awareness Workshop Delivery - Prairie Swine Centre Inc.

To deliver a hydrogen sulphide awareness workshop to eight locations throughout Saskatchewan in May, June, October and November of 2001. This workshop will ensure that the small and medium hog producers across the province have access to hydrogen sulphide safety awareness.

Date Approved: May 9, 2001
Project Cost: $8,800.00 CARDS Funding: $3,900.00

==============================================

Pork Industry Interpretive Centre & Viewing Gallery - Prairie Swine Centre Inc.

Approved Costs: Funding was approved under the Industry and Rural Resource Development Program. Eligible costs include those associated with the development of interpretive signage and interactive educational. Project Objective: To create a science-like facility to provide easy access to a modern pork barn for the purposes of demonstrating to, and educating, the general public. Through the interpretive centre, the general public and stakeholders will have access to information on current swine research, production practices, and the handling of animals. This should provide a better understanding of the pork industry, and help to dispel some of the myths associated with intensive livestock production.

Date Approved: August 15, 2001
Project Cost: $1,061,000.00 CARDS Funding: $75,730.00

====================================

Assessment of Hydrogen Sulfide Monitoring and Control - Prairie Swine Centre Inc.

The proposed project will examine the performance of the hydrogen sulphide monitors currently installed in hog barns, and further investigate the effectiveness of water-based liquid spray as a hydrogen sulphide gas control. Further, a liquid waste by-product from the extraction of fatty acids from Saskatchewan-grown oilseeds will be tested as a chemical additive to the liquid-based spray for hydrogen sulphide reduction effectiveness. Initial assessment of the chemical properties of this liquid by-product has indicated that it could be suitable for scrubbing hydrogen sulphide from the air. Thus, this application will be investigated for potential value-addition to this material that is presently considered a waste and a potential environmental contaminant.

Date Approved: August 12, 2004
Project Cost: $30,000.00 CARDS Funding: $17,500.00

===============================================

Project Title: “Careers in Animal Agriculture, A Development of the Pork Interpretive Gallery” - Applicant: Prairie Swine Centre Inc.

Project Summary: The project includes, in part, the expansion of the interactive career opportunities displays at the Pork Interpretive Gallery (P.I.G.), facility upgrades to allow video and technical presentations at P.I.G., implementing a career opportunities component to the P.I.G. website, providing links to qualified career development and career opportunity information available on-line. The objective of this project is to support the training and development of Saskatchewan's youth through providing exposure to the many career opportunities available in the expanding livestock sector and, if successful, will increase the pool of people considering careers in animal agriculture.

Date Approved: November 9, 2004
Project Cost: $150,500.00 CARDS Funding: $48,500.00

==============================================

Hog centre gets funding

http://www.producer.com/free/editorial/ ... k&sto=0077

2006-04-06 Western Producer

By Michael Raine Saskatoon newsroom

Prairie Swine Centre's provincial funding has been renewed for five more years.

When announcing the $1.65 million funding, Saskatchewan agriculture minister Mark Wartman said the centre provides a valuable service to the hog industry in his province as well as Manitoba and Alberta.

"This is a world-class example of applied agricultural research ... and through provincial funding of it we help to ensure the Saskatchewan farmers can continue to grow their businesses in this highly competitive environment," he said.

The 13-year-old non-profit institute is affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan and provides producers and academic researchers the opportunity to expand their practical understanding of nutrition, animal confinement, production engineering and animal behaviour. It also conducts research into barn work environment and animal welfare.

The centre is funded by producer organizations in the three prairie provinces with additional research money coming from the federal government and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

It has two locations: Floral, on the outskirts of Saskatoon; and a research farm at Elstow, Sask., that houses the Pork Interpretive Gallery, which allows the public to view a working hog farm

=========================

Saskatchewan Pork Development Board Annual Report 2005-2006

http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/agrifood/board ... pt2006.pdf

[Oscar]

Prairie Swine Centre Officially Opens State of the Art Sow Research Unit

http://www.farmscape.ca/f2ShowScript.as ... earch+Unit

Farmscape Article 2877 June 14, 2008

The Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) officially opened its newly renovated sow research unit located at Floral, Saskatchewan on Tuesday (June 10) with an open house.

Next week, following a fumigation, cleaning and final equipment check the first pigs will be moved in.

The Prairie Swine Centre is one of several University of Saskatchewan (U of S) research facilities. Its primary focus is animal nutrition, animal behaviour and engineering.