The Rural Voice, 1982-06, Page 17NEWS IN BRIEF
Quality, no matter how you spell it.
The world wants to improve its genetics
and a Norwegian bloodline has helped put
a St. Marys' area pig farm on a worldwide
map.
GIP is pig spelled backwards. but also
short form for genetically improved
purebreds, hence the firm's name at R.R.
3 St. Marys: GIP Farms of Canada Ltd.
The company was formed in 1980 and is
a partnership and dream come true for
three former classmates at the University
of Guelph (class of 1970): Brian Middleton
of R.R. 2 St. Marys. Matt Marui of the
Fullarton area and Jim Donaldson of
Hickson. Duarte Santos of R.R. 3 St.
Marys is the farm's manager. After
graduation each member of the trio
developed his own specialty into a
business; Middleton started raising beef
cattle but then went into cash cropping,
Marui whose specialty is genetics went
into pig farming and Donaldson went into
exporting.
Five years ago while travelling through-
out the world they came upon a Norwegian
Landrace pig which has characteristics
they felt would be ideal for breeding with
Canadian Landrace pigs; for instance the
Norwegian variety is big boned and can
easily stand on concrete. ideal for raising
in the concrete closures now commonplace
in this country. The Norwegian pig has
other ideal qualities. It grows fast, has
good reproductive traits, high feed
efficiency and excellent back fat thick-
ness.
The three men invested $100.000 and
brought the first Norwegian Landrace pigs
to North America slightly more than a year
ago. GIP Farms was formed to handle the
venture. They then bought a farm on
Highway 7 and invested Sl -million with
assistance from the Stratford branch of a
national bank.
Crossbreeding with the best bloodlines
available from Ontario's top herds has
produced record-setting pigs. The coni-
pany has sold to buyers in the United
States, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil. Chile,
Jamaica. Singapore, the Philippines,
South Africa, Australia, Denmark,
Sweden, West Germany, England,
Argentina. Portugal, Spain, China and
Japan.
"We are now topping the test station
record of performance (ROP) evalua-
tions", Middleton says. The average size
of litters is 12 to 14 piglets, with an
average weight of 4.4 to 4.5 pounds at
birth.
And that's not all.
"Each pig has a pedigree." Middleton
says. Each pig's ancestry can be traced
back a number of generations. About 40
per cent of the pigs born at the farm are
culled. with only the best of what remains
used for breeding.
GIP Farms' barn now holds 170 sows
(soon to be increased to 300) which are 40
per cent Landrace (10 per cent Norwe-
gian, 20 per cent Norwegian -Canadian
and 10 per cent Canadian), 30 per cent
Yorkshire pigs and 30 per cent Duroc pigs.
There are also some boars.
Middleton says the firm crosses only the
finest Yorkshire and Duroc bloodlines to
develop better pedigrees.
The barn itself is something of a
showplace. one of the more modern
facilities in Canada. Air comes in from the
top, is heated and then drawn down
through the slots ir, the floor and out,
resulting in a minimum of odor and barn
floors that are constantly warmed and
kept dry. The partnership is also develop-
ing a new slotted floor, more comfortable
for the animals but just as functional.
GIP Farms ships its pigs by aircraft
from Toronto, Montreal. New York and
Chicago. Assisting are a Toronto broker, a
London accounting firm. St. Marys lawyer
Bob Stephens, and local veterinarian Rick
Longfield who specializes in swine.
"We're not interested in the money,"
says Middleton. "Each of us has his own
business... Our challenge is meeting
world demands and improving Canadian
bloodlines."
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
'If a farmer has no source of income save what he derives from 15c eggs, 20c
cream, 57. hogs. 70c wheat, 25c oats or 84c beef, he is not going to slap on much red
paint or plant many Oriental shrubs.
Family Herald and Weekly Star 1941
T. B. ALLEN LTD.
Feed and Fertilizer
Call • 482-3363 • 523-9606
• 523-4414
ALLBORO ELEVATORS
LTD.
have all requirements for • Elevating
• Drying and Storing your Corn
Call • 523-4470
Londesboro, Ontario
THE RURAL VOICE/JUNE 1982 PG 17