It is Pig Improvement Company’s (PIC) aim to continue to grow their genetic population in southeast Saskatchewan, thus they are building a genetic nucleus operation in the Carlyle area.
The farm will consist of three sites: farrow through full test, export facility and truck wash.
“Work started last week on Site 1 which is situated approximately 15 kms southeast of Carlyle,” explains Abdoul Teuw, supply chain specialist, who has been employed with PIC for a total of 12 years at the Kipling location. “We’re moving the topsoil and started digging one of the barns on Monday.”
Site 2 will be located four kilometres west of Carlyle.
“Site 3 will be the private truck wash located right in Carlyle, close to the current carwash,” explains Teuw. “This truck wash will be used strictly to re-wash trucks for PIC so the trucks aren't carrying any disease prior to loading the pigs.”
Teuw says the plan is to have the barns ready for use by next winter, so hopefully by the end of January or mid-February 2022.
PIC was founded in 1962 by five English Farmers in Oxfordshire, England. Today, PIC and its employees are still realizing the founders’ dream. By applying the latest available science to pig breeding, PIC strives to provide pig producers with superior pigs that cost less to produce and provide higher quality pork.
PIC Canada, since 1970, is the Canadian swine division of Genus plc, a British-based company with the mission to pioneer animal genetic improvement to help nourish the world. Genus strives to provide beef, dairy and pork producers with superior breeding stock to enable the production of affordable and nutritious animal protein for consumers.
Pioneering genetic improvements in pigs over the years has established PIC as the leading and most reliable swine genetics company with operations in over 40 countries across the globe.
Their breeding program is based on extensive data capture. They measure the performance potential of each individual pig in their genetic production facilities around the world. They use both phenotypic and genotypic information from these elite animals. They collect data from the sow farms (reproductive traits), growing pig facilities (growth, efficiency and robustness traits) as well as packing plants (carcass and meat quality traits).
The data from the genetic production facilities is augmented with vast amounts of commercial data from customer farms across the globe. The inclusion of this data assures that the elite animals and families that are selected as the parents of future generations show robust performance across multiple environments.
Lastly, they continue to expand their genetic population to increase selection intensity. Their elite genetic populations have doubled over the past five years.
PIC will:
•Strive to be good neighbors and community involved participant;
•Support schools, grocery stores, housing, restaurants, gas stations, etc.; Teuw says PIC is “very community involved;”
•Spend in excess of $30 million to construct the facilities;
•2k sows with 25k pig testing facility totaling 4,300 animal units;
•Four hundred head export/quarantine facility; and
•Build the truck wash.
“Staffing for these barns will be offered locally first, approximately 35 employees will be required at a total of $2 million per year,” says Teuw. “The goal is to look for people that are local. It makes more sense to hire locally first.”
“PIC is an equal opportunity company,” says Teuw.
Among other highlights:
•Employees will live locally utilizing local businesses;
•Purchase 10,600 tonnes of corn/wheat and 3,800 tonnes of soybean meal per year;
•Grain will be purchased through the Stoughton Feed Mill;
•Build environmentally sound facility with enclosed nutrient storage;
•Deep pits under facilities with 25-centimetre thick reinforced cement;
•Generate 290 tonnes of NPK for area farms to utilize as crop fertilizer per year;
•Incorporated into the soil in spring/fall at agronomic rates at PIC expense;
•Estimated fertilizer value to farmers is $275,000 per year;
•Operate farm as a high health facility with export capabilities
•Provide breeding stock for Canada producers and 25+ countries
“The farm’s 2,000 sows will provide the genetics for over 40 million pigs each year that deliver pork for consumers across the globe,” explains Teuw.
“Our goal is to enable customers to become the most successful pork producers in the world. High-quality genetics form the basis for success. That’s why we focus on using the latest innovations to drive genetic improvement, a global bio-secure supply system to deliver the genetics to producers, and on-farm technical services to help producers realize the value from the genetics.
“PIC is committed to ensuring that producers can deliver outstanding products to their market — and to the world’s consumers.”
