Even the Biggest & Best Hog Farms in Trouble

Big Sky Farms is seeking creditor protection. Big Sky is the province’s largest pork producer with about 40 units in Saskatchewan as well as Manitoba and a workforce of about 400 people. Due to its size and the Saskatchewan government’s equity in the operation, Big Sky has always attracted more than its fair share of public attention. For some, it epitomizes big, bad hog farms and they’ll be glad to see the company in financial difficulty. However, Big Sky has always been well-managed and efficient and it’s always been a company with a social conscience. Here’s hoping Big Sky can restructure and survive. There is a long list of big and small hog operations that have struggled under the continuing losses of the past three years. Across the nation, the hog industry is in trouble, but Saskatchewan has seen a steeper decline in hog numbers than any other province. Without a major hog processing plant, producers in this province face high trucking costs to get their hogs to market. If an operation like Big Sky can’t make the economics work, there won’t be many who can. I’m Kevin Hursh.