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There are plenty of opportunities for expansion in the Canadian pork industry — the question is how to go about it, says veteran pork industry analyst Jerry Bouma of Edmonton-based Toma & Bouma Management Consultants.

Although Canada is the second-largest exporter of pork in the world, in some areas the Canadian pork industry is far behind competing countries. "Look at hog density, for example," says Bouma. "The Netherlands have 38 times the density of hogs per square kilometre than Alberta. Denmark has 30 times more density, while there are two counties in North Carolina which are 183 times greater.

"There is definitely room for the pork industry to grow in Canada. It's not a matter of 'if' we can expand, but 'how.' That's why we need to look at the strategies which have promoted industry growth in other countries."

Bouma discusses these strategies in a new Industry Report on the Alberta Pork Web site.

Compatibility key to an efficient septic system

The interaction between a septic system and the soil is kind of like a marriage — both parties have to be compatible. Key to that, says a senior field inspector with Alberta Municipal Affairs, is the correct soil test.

Making the right decision on a sewage treatment system depends largely on soil profile, says Joe Petryk. Currently, the Private Sewage Standard of Practice accepts a "soils percolation test" or a "soils particle or grain size analysis test" done by a lab to arrive at the acceptable effluent loading rate of a field or mound. Of the two tests, the latter is usually more accurate.

"The 'perc test' determines the rate at which water is absorbed by the soil after the test hole is saturated. If not done properly, the results can jeopardize the design of the sewage treatment system," he says.

"Meanwhile, the particle or grain size analysis test accurately establishes the amounts of clay; sand and silt in the soil and provides a soil classification to properly design the sewage treatment system. As designs of systems become more critical to prevent system failures, percolation tests are less reliable and the particle or grain size analysis is highly recommended."

Simple diet changes may boost beef and dairy health value

Scientists have now well established that ruminant animals produce conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a valuable, health-boosting fat that is transferred into dairy and beef products. They also know levels of this natural CLA can be increased substantially in these products through simple changes to animal diets, and indications are a variety of other approaches have considerable potential to also increase CLA.

"In the Human Health module, our role is to identify and understand the human health benefits of different types of CLA, as a means to drive progress toward realizing those benefits through a number of approaches," says Dr. Spencer Proctor, leader of the Human Health module for the Alberta-based CLA Network.

"For now, in our specific Human Health module studies, we've chosen to concentrate on completing fundamental cell and animal based studies," says Proctor. "These will strengthen our foundation for future human clinical trials, which we plan to pursue as Network capacity for the Human Health module increases."

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Strategy key to future of Canadian pork industry

Compatibility key to an efficient septic system

Simple diet changes may boost beef and dairy health value