Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op Inc. has signed a long-term agreement to supply Berkshire-derived hogs for Japanese markets.
“It’s another alternative, another option,” said Perry Mohr, agency manager. He said hogs meeting the specifications will fetch a premium of $18 per head.
Springhill Farms, a hog processor at Neepawa, Man., secured the markets and will buy the hogs from the co-op for three years.
Black Diamond Berkshire Ltd., which sells breeding stock and genetics, will help ensure all hogs in the program have certified Berkshire genetics.
About 60 farmers sell 400 Berkshire-derived hogs per week through the agency. Mohr said by the end of the year, the co-op hopes to be handling 1,000 per week.
The three-year agreement will encourage producers to get involved, said Mohr: “They didn’t want to gear up their production to fill a market that might not be there.”
The co-op provides hog marketing and risk management for its owner-members.
