Shady Lane Colony of Treherne come out with bragging rights after this year’s pork producer head-to-head competition at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.
The fair’s annual pork quality contest saw the colony walk away with a rare double win, having put forward both the best and second-best carcasses.
“It’s hard to believe. The competition is usually pretty stiff,” said Eugene Hoffer of Shady Lane Colony.
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Why it matters: The annual competition is among many ag-oriented activities the provincial exhibition’s premier fair, put on each year at the end of March.
Eighteen entrants threw their hats into the ring, a number that fair co-chair Wayne Buhr says is consistent with last year. The two top-placing carcasses earned scores of 93 and 71 points, respectively, from a total 111 points.
Buhr said only historical records could reveal the last time an entrant took home both first and second place in the competition.
“That’s quite the accomplishment,” he said.
Last year the winning carcass topped out at 88 points, although the quality spread was tighter. A full quarter of entrants in 2022 garnered at least 80 points, something noted by last year’s judge, Jason Care. In 2022, Care noted a marked improvement in carcass size and loin eye colour.
This year’s entrants also scored high on colour. Fourteen of the 18 entrants got a colour score of three or above on a six-point index.
Animals tended to be lighter. This year’s winning carcass also had one of the highest warm weight weigh-ins at 97.1 kilograms, and although gross weight isn’t everything on the judge’s board, only two entries came in with carcass index points of 30 or above, compared to 13 last year. Both of those carcasses this year came from Shady Lane Colony.
“We’re looking for the ham profile, the belly, the loin eye area,” Hoffer said. “You can always tell when a pig’s really nice, a hog’s really nice. It stands out … You go through your hogs carefully, slowly, and then pick and choose and hope for the best.”
Wellwood Hutterite Colony of Ninette, Plainview Hutterite Colony near Elkhorn and Deerboine Hutterite Colony of Alexander rounded out the top five.
Giving back
Carcasses entered in the competition will be donated, as they have in previous years.
Two carcasses are bound for Assiniboine Community College’s culinary arts program. Students at the Brandon-based college will use them to hone their skills.
Meat from the other 16 entrants will be donated to local food banks and charities in western Manitoba.
Brandon-based company East 40 Packers stepped up to process the carcasses at cost.
A group of other, non-food related charities will also get a windfall following the competition. In what has become tradition, each entrant was asked to name charities of their choice prior to judging.
The top five placers split prize money with their chosen charity or charities. This year, the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) was a popular choice. Three entrants listed the underwater search and rescue organization as co-beneficiaries, including the multi-prize winning Shady Lane Colony.
Last year’s winners also chose HEART to receive funds. The organization is donor-funded and includes a trained dive team, several recovery vehicles and an underwater remote operated vehicle and sonar system.
Brandon Regional Hospital will be the other recipient of the top colony’s prize money. Colony members often rely on that facility for health care, Hoffer said.
“It’s always nice to support a nice hospital,” he said. “I mean, they’re getting rarer. It’s a no-brainer, almost.”
Other non-profits named in 2023 included international aid organization Christian Aid Ministries, organizations fighting Alzheimer’s disease and other local hospitals.
