RECAP: 48th annual Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium

Bruce Cochrane - Farmscape

There is a lot to look forward to, as a positive outlook was the overarching theme for those who attended the 48th annual Saskatchewan Pork Industry in Saskatoon.

This year’s symposium attracted more than 300 guests from across Canada and the U.S., and more than 25 exhibitors in the trade show area.

“There’s a lot of confidence and a lot of optimism in the way that everyone is looking at the industry over the next couple of years,” said Steve Seto, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, Sask Pork. “It’s an opportunity for producers across the province to come together, network, gain new information, refresh themselves on old information, see what’s new and developing within the industry, then take that knowledge back to the farm.”

Trade, more than tariffs, driving market impacts

Brett Stuart President, Global AgriTrends spoke about current market impacts during his keynote address.

“We’re in a good spot,” he said. “We had tough years in the industry in 2023 and 2024, and losses accrued quickly. But, if you look at where we are at today, hog farmers are making money. Using the U.S. hog futures as a forecast, we should see hog producers profitable right on through to the end of 2026.”

Stuart pointed out that, despite the rhetoric, most of agriculture has escaped significant impact from U.S. tariffs.

“We’ve all been front row participants of President Trump’s trade agenda as, for the past year, we’ve heard the rhetoric about tariffs and tariffs have come on, tariffs have been reduced and put back on. Bottom line, I would say, is, I think Trump’s agenda has pretty much rolled out on tariffs,” he said. “The impact on agriculture, I would say, has been quite minimal compared to what we thought it could be. You can look at the U.S. and Canada; our agricultural trade is still pretty much all tariff-free. The one industry that’s been affected is Brazil. Brazil’s beef to the U.S. faces a 76 per cent tariff. That has stopped most of that from coming into the U.S. but outside of Brazilian beef, we really haven’t seen much of an impact.”

Stuart added that the 25 per cent tariff imposed in March on Canadian goods headed south, which was then raised to 35 per cent in August, only applies to products not covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) or U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Agreement, which today accounts for only about 15 per cent of trade with the U.S. and doesn’t impact agriculture.

“Canada’s stand on supply management could be a factor in the upcoming renegotiation of USMCA. I don’t see a real reason where something would need to change,” he said. “I would expect that, everything being normal, we would just renew that plan going forward.”

Stuart cautioned, however, that President Trump has been vocal in the past about Canadian poultry and dairy so, we could go back to the mat over poultry and dairy and supply management. Stuart expects the wild card will be the U.S. Supreme Court’s review of the legality of Trump’s imposition of tariffs, so there is a possibility the President could lose his authority to impose tariffs.

“As early as maybe even January-February, we’ll find out the Supreme Court’s ruling and that ruling will stand,” said Stuart.

Globally, Stuart noted President Trump was recently in Southeast Asia, where he signed deals with four countries: Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand. Trump also announced a deal with China that removes the retaliation tariffs.

“That pretty much takes us back, maybe to par with where we were,” said Stuart. He added that U.S. beef prices are high, and we’re going to have record beef imports on a year that we impose tariffs and based on the U.S. hog futures, we should see hog producers profitable right on through to the end of 2026, based on affordable grain prices and decent demand.

Keeping focus on young consumers

Lisa Keefe, a protein journalist and communicator, examined the habits of young consumers.

“When it comes to the factors that drive food buying choices, some things change and some things don’t,” she said. “The two most reliable consumer preferences are going to be price, which is always number one – and I don’t care what customers say in surveys about how much they value other qualities in their proteins – and convenience.”

Keefe suggested demographics play a larger role in consumer food choices now than at any time in the past 75 years.

“Anything the industry can do to save consumers time during meal preparation is going to be beneficial. I think everybody feels like there have been hours taken out of their day, even though we have all of this convenience coming at us. Digital tools have given us instant communication, but they’re not putting time back into our lives; they’re taking it out.”

Millennial and Gen Z consumers – those aged 20- to 40-years old, together – make up more than half of all food purchasers in Canada today. These consumers demand more of everything, compared to older generations. They want more convenience, but they also want cleaner labels. They want higher quality but in portions that bring the price down to fit their budget. Reaching those consumers and getting into their hands a product that they’re going to buy consistently requires a concerted effort.

For even younger consumers and future food purchasers, Sask Pork has developed ‘The Whole Hog’ ambassador program, appealing to kids and teens.

“The Whole Hog Ambassador was developed because we wanted to talk to a younger audience and felt that it would have a better impact if it was coming from a younger person,” said Jessica Podhordeski, Ag Education Coordinator, Sask Pork.

Earlier this year, Sask Pork released a second series of educational videos hosted by 12-year-old Reise Podhordeski.

“Due to biosecurity, not a lot of people see or are aware of how pigs are raised,” said Jessica. “Season 1 takes a look inside the barn, and Season 2 is more about careers not directly related to production, such as chefs, butchers, researchers and those working different jobs that are part of the pork industry but not directly related to raising pigs.”

‘The Whole Hog’ can be found on Sask Pork’s YouTube page and is promoted throughout the year on social media and inperson events.

Hope, perseverance on display

Chris Koch – a Nanton, Alberta farm boy turned world traveller, marathoner, blogger and inspirational speaker – spoke candidly about his life experiences, echoing the optimistic tone of the symposium.

“Simply put, I was born missing arms and legs,” said Koch. “To give you a visual, my arms would be about elbow length, and then as far as the legs, on the left side, there is no leg at all. On the right side, there’s a partially developed leg with a partially developed foot. I can hop around on that one leg, or I use a longboard or skateboard to get around.”

Koch describes necessity as the mother of invention.

“I grew up farming, and it’s been part of my life as far back as I can remember. I don’t have somebody that helps me get into the tractor or the combine, or any contraptions to get me up in there. I do it all on my own. You just figure out clever, outside-the-box ways to do things. The older equipment is a little more difficult, but you just figure out a way to make it work. With the newer equipment, I can climb up the ladder on my own.

Koch credits the confidence of family and friends.

“If my mom, dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles treated me like that – a poor disabled boy – I would have grown up acting that way, whereas I was just Chris. I guarantee I’m having more fun and more success without arms and legs than I would have if I had been born with them. I hope that statement alone makes people think about their own situations – about the things in life that they’ve allowed to hold themselves back. Our biggest obstacle – the biggest wrench that gets thrown into the spokes – is the one we cause ourselves; it’s that six inches between the ears. I have a lot of people tell me, ‘If I was in your situation, I’d never be able to do that.’ I beg to differ. I think we’re all capable of overcoming some pretty incredible stuff.”

Team effort applauded

With the 2025 Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium now complete, planning is already getting underway for next year’s event.

Seto describes it as a team effort involving the entire office, including Podhordeski, who organizes the agenda, lines up the speakers and coordinates the venue; Tiffany Yang who handles the event’s financial end; Karolina Steinerova and Alison Sullivan who assist in the event’s planning and execution; and Mark Ferguson who oversees the operation.

Seto also applauds the sponsors who do a fantastic job not only in helping out financially, but also helping with planning the event as part of its advisory committee.