An attic viewing room at an Elstow, Sask., research barn will provide a window on the world of pig production beginning next spring.
Fund-raising is under way to secure the $1 million required to build the corridors, viewing windows and interactive displays needed to create the interpretive centre at the Prairie Swine Centre’s 600-sow farrow-to-finish barn.
“No project has captured the imagination of so many people and attracted as much interest as this one,” centre president John Patience told a news conference May 31.
“It’s a window into the pork industry for the general public,” he said.
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“The general public has an interest in knowing how pigs are raised and how pork is produced.”
He said the interpretive centre can be an educational tool for students studying agriculture, municipal councilors exploring economic development opportunities and residents seeking more information about pig barns in their neighborhoods.
Patience said the Elstow barns represent a typical hog production facility in Western Canada, but also showcase leading-edge research in animal welfare, the environment and intensive agricultural practices.
Two-metre-wide hallways in the barn’s attic will include 12 large windows overlooking three wings of the barn. Displays will explain the science, business and human side of pork production.
Patience said the interpretive centre was prompted by the mixed reaction to large pig barns.
“The more the general public understands about our industry, the better for our industry and for the general public.”
Wayne Vermette of Elite Stock Farms at Outlook, Sask., agreed.
“By providing a window to our production practices, it will add significantly to how our industry is perceived.”
He has witnessed the changes first-hand during his 27 years in pig production. The business has gone from a few pigs raised in the farmyard to intensive facilities with restricted access to eliminate diseases.
“Without our health, we don’t have anything,” he said, noting the contained gallery will allow viewing without compromising herd health.
Vermette is chair of a committee overseeing the educational centre. It launched its ambassador’s program earlier this spring “to identify the shakers and movers in Saskatchewan agribusiness” and to educate others about the pork industry.
Lee Whittington of the Prairie Swine Centre said the goal is for ambassadors to learn more about the business, spread the news to others and identify possible funding sources.
