The Board of Directors of Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op (MPMC) and SPI Marketing Group (SPI) are pleased to announce the establishment of a new company that will provide hog marketing services.

The new company, h@ms (hog administrative marketing services) will provide Marketing, Procurement, Settlement, In-Transit Insurance and Risk Management services for the parent companies. Although the head office will be located in Winnipeg, with a satellite office in Saskatoon, the comprehensive service package offered by h@ms will not be limited to producers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The parent companies (MPMC and SPI) will continue to operate and provide direction to h@ms via a Board of Directors that will consist of representatives from both provinces.

h@ms is expected to be fully operational by 1 January 2010 but some services are already being offered under the h@ms umbrella!

"We see no reason to limit the service package to Manitoba and Saskatchewan producers and hope producers and industry participants in other provinces will see the benefits and value of working with h@ms to provide hog marketing services," said John Preun, President of Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op.

"We also think there is potential in the future for Processors to find value in the services provided by h@ms," stated Don Kolla, Chairman of the Board for SPI.

Don Hrapchak, General Manager of SPI said, "The economic performance of the industry has pushed producers to be creative in minimizing costs over the last few years, and we (MPMC and SPI) felt our contribution to this would be the consolidation of services. This move will enable both organizations to continue to provide a high level of service at a reduced cost."

"This project has taken a considerable amount of time and effort and I am excited that our efforts are finally reaching fruition. The joint effort ensures that producers/members will be well represented for many years to come," explained Perry Mohr, Chief Executive Officer of MPMC.

Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op and SPI Marketing Group are producer owned organizations that represent over 500 producers that market approximately two million hogs annually.