Sask Pork recognizes local swine specialists with Awards of Distinction

Sask Pork honoured two local swine experts with Saskatchewan Pork Industry Awards of Distinction at the 45th annual Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium this past week.

Researcher Dr. Jennifer Brown with Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) and veterinarian Dr. Josh Lindenbach received top honours from the hog industry at the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium dinner and Awards of Distinction on November 15th at the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre.

Dr. Jennifer Brown was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been the Research Scientist – Ethology at Prairie Swine Centre since 2011. Brown has earned the respect of the swine industry in Saskatchewan and across Canada and has played a key role in assisting the industry in making the change to group sow housing. She provided leadership for the National Sow Housing Conversion Project, a collaborative effort involving industry and researchers to enable the successful adoption and conversion of sow barns to group housing in Canada. While at Prairie Swine Centre, Brown’s areas of research have included group sow housing, welfare of pigs during transport, development of techniques to measure stress in pigs, and the use of enrichments for sows.

Dr. Murray Pettitt, CEO of Prairie Swine Centre, nominated Brown.

“Jennifer brings much more than her research skills to the swine industry. She is passionate about training the next generation of swine professionals and is an excellent teacher as evidenced by how much undergraduate students enjoy and learn from her classes. She is also an accomplished teacher and mentor to her graduate students and thrives on increasing their understanding of animal welfare and behaviour,” explained Dr. Murray Pettitt. “She is an excellent researcher, leading the way in welfare and behaviour research on behalf of swine producers in Saskatchewan and beyond.”

“I am very honored to receive this award from Sask Pork. I hope that my research has given new understanding and a meaningful perspective on challenges related to animal care. I look forward to continuing work on pig behaviour and welfare with the help of students and partners in the pork industry and academia,” said recipient Dr. Jennifer Brown. “One important goal going forward is to see Canadian producers fully implement group sow housing in productive and sustainable systems.”

Dr. Josh Lindenbach of Warman Veterinary Services was also recognized with an Award of Distinction for Exceptional Service for his leadership during a livestock transportation rollover this summer.

“Dr. Lindenbach’s quick response provided a significant service to the industry. Despite the danger to himself, he entered the trailer, and managed the assessment, handling, and extraction of the animals still on board as well as those outside the trailer.  While I know Josh is appreciated every day by his farms, as their herd health veterinarian, his actions on August 4th made a big difference to the animals and industry,” said Mark Ferguson, General Manager of Sask Pork.

 “I am humbled and appreciative of the recognition the industry has made.  I just considered the situation part of my veterinary duty and service to the Saskatchewan pork industry, which is made of producers that are hard working and dutifully care for their livestock,” said Dr. Josh Lindenbach.

Lindenbach grew up on a dairy farm east of Regina where his passion for livestock originated. This led him to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and he joined Warman Veterinary Services in 2008. He serves both the dairy and swine industries in Saskatchewan, promoting animal health and welfare and explaining how healthy animals allow for high production and sustainability for the farm.  Lindenbach has memberships multiple swine associations and has contributed to numerous industry-led projects.

“Often our pork industry awards of distinction are used to celebrate a lifetime of work in the industry, as with the dedicated service of Dr. Jennifer Brown. However, other times it is to recognize an individual who has gone above and beyond in their duties, and contributed to the industry in an extraordinary manner,” explained Ferguson. “This year’s awards are a true celebration honouring the many ways in which the over 1,000 people working in hog production in Saskatchewan serve the industry and we are delighted to celebrate both Dr. Jennifer Brown and Dr. Josh Lindenbach.”