Producers can network, learn new information and participate in swine-themed activities
By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Pig farmers may want to make room in their calendars for the 45th Ontario Pork Congress (OPC) next week.
The event, which runs from June 20 to 21 at the Stratford Rotary Complex, offers a range of programs and activities for individuals of all ages.
For example, attendees can watch the Bacon Maker Classic, an annual hog showing competition. This event offers classes divided by age group:
- children in public school – Bacon Bits
- youth in high school and college or university – Bacon Strips
- adults – Peameal Bacon
The latter class is aptly named “because (adults) are old and crusty,” the entry form states.
Individuals can also participate in the Ontario Pork Industry Council’s Hog Jog.
Producers can speak with exhibitors, including representatives from equipment retailers and manufacturers, financial institutions, feed companies and industry associations. (Staff from Better Pork, a member of the Farms.com group of companies, will be in attendance in the Agriplex.)
Attendees can taste pork tenderloin dishes prepared by local chefs, too.
The $15 admission fee includes a pork chop lunch, Chris Crump, president of the OPC, told Farms.com today.
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During the first day of the event, Ontario Pork will collect used needles and scalpel blades at a booth near the main entrance between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
To drop off their veterinary sharps, producers must ensure the items are in puncture-proof and leak-resistant plastic containers. They must secure the lids with duct tape.
Industry members have supported each other to make the event a success, Crump said.
“The pork industry is such a tight-knit group of people,” he said. “We’re all in this together.”
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