The latest numbers released by Statistics Canada show that cattle, hog and sheep numbers in Manitoba have begun to recover after years of shrinking.

Heifer retention up

The province’s cattle herd was pegged at 1.165 million head, up 0.4 per cent from 1.16 million at the same time in 2011.

Hogs seen stable

Andrew Dickson, general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council, said that the 0.4 per cent increase in Manitoba hogs shows that the herd, at 2.63 million head compared to 2.62 million last year, hasn’t changed much compared to last year.

“There seems to be a trend that expansion is on the way.”