The Rural Voice, 1991-07, Page 36QUALITY SWINE CO-OP:
BY POOLING THEIR RESOURCES AND KNOWLEDGE,
THESE HOG FARMERS ARE LEADING THE PACK
by June Flath
Quality Swine Co-op has proven
that co-operation among farmers
allows them to do research and genetic
research they couldn't do as individual
producers. A farmer -owned and run
organization, members buy and sell
purebred and crossbred breeding stock
and feeder pigs from herds that meet
the Co-op's regulated herd health
standards and performance testing.
From the beginning Quality Swine,
based in Shedden, Ontario, set out to
build markets based on pigs with
known records of minimum standards
for growth and backfat, and with
guarantees for breeding performance.
Angus Campbell, one of a group
of ten founding members who started
the ball rolling in 1965, says there
were concems about the hogs coming
out of southwestern Ontario. "They
had a lower quality grading compared
to the rest of Ontario," says Campbell.
Now as well as supplying the best
genetics, the Co-op provides consul-
tants for health, nutrition, ventilation,
and facility management. They sell
and deliver health and management
products, do testing for feed compaies,
as well as acting as a marketing agent
for artificial insemination. They have
a research and development herd of
purebred Hampshires and Durocs that
is being used to verify the accuracy of
the "estimated breeding value pro-
gram" for herd genetic improvement.
Back in 1965, some producers
blamed the high ratio of corn in the
feed for the poor quality pork, says
Campbell, "but the rest of us knew
that wasn't it." So a group of pork
producers headed by Campbell, after
a number of meetings, decided to set
up a system for improving the genetics
of Ontario swine, which would
improve the quality of the market hog
being shipped. And Quality Swine
was born.
At the end of their first year, there
were about 70 members. Today, the
co-op has 2,600 members.
Since that humble beginning 26
years ago, the Co-op has handled over
Quality Swine's headquarters in Dutton. From humble beginnings of 10 forward
looking producers, the co-op has grown to 2,600 members.
4.5 million feeder pigs and 80,000
head of breeding stock.
Today, the 900 active members of
Quality Swine put out 244,000 feeder
hogs a year in the 21 county area of
Western Ontario they serve, which is
home to 89 per cent of Ontario's hog
producers.
They handle about 5,000 weaner
pigs a week from about 150 herds,
selling to between 90 and 100
finishers. Last year, they had $1.4
million in members' equity
The original intent of Quality
Swine, says Campbell, was to be for
the breeder — "moving feeder pigs
was a way to make money."
In 1966, the group imported the
first coloured breeds into Ontario to
use for crossbreeding. Prior to this, 95
per cent of Ontario pigs were white
and 90 per cent were pure York, he
says. ,
They wanted to combine the
leanness and growth rate of Hamp-
shires and Durocs with the litter size
and mothering qualities of Landrace
and York.
Quality Swine initiated a backfat
probing program, the forerunner of
today's government run Record of
Performance (ROP) program, be-
lieving that through backfat probing,
leaner gilts and herd sires could be
produced. They established a market
for good boars, proving that quality
boars do make a difference.
"I never expected it to get as big as
it has," says Campbell. "I never
dreamed there'd be this many mem-
bers."
Members have farms that vary in
size from 25 -sow herds to 800 -sow
operations, with 100 to 125 sows
being the average.
"We have a proven track record,"
says Jim Hunter, general manager of
the Co-op, "those who follow our
program better themselves and get
more money back."
About 5,000 weaner pigs a week
32 THE RURAL VOICE