Ian

Ian and his brother Scott took over the family farm after completing university.  At that time, the economic climate wasn’t on their side. Tough times taught them a lot about being as efficient as possible. They now have 800 sows between two separate farrow-to-finish sites.

Ian believes that pork producers in Ontario are more keenly aware of their environmental impact because they live on the land and when it comes to environmental stewardship, a little effort goes a long way. Like most pork producers, he thinks a lot about managing natural resources such as water and is mindful of reducing usage. 

“2018’s heat wave put a lot of stress on staff and livestock and we had to adjust our methods to make sure things were comfortable in the barns, such as feeding the animals at night when it was cooler.”

Over the last few years, Ian’s been involved in two separate projects with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority to crop land that was left unattended. He doesn’t own this land, but because it was prone to erosion when left bare, he felt compelled to do his part.