Dr. F.X. Aherne Prize 2011Dr. F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production Prize Winners
The first Dr. Frank Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production was awarded at the 2003 Banff Pork Seminar in Banff, Alberta. Now in its tenth year, the F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production was instituted to offer recognition for practical on-farm technology innovations that answer production challenges. The award applies to producers, owners, production managers or consultants in the North American pork industry, and all innovations entered must be in use on a farm in Canada. Innovations nominated fit into one or more of six categories: improved productivity, improved profitability, improved working conditions, improved animal well-being, reduced impact on the environment, and improved pork quality or food safety. 2011 Dr. F.X. Aherne Prize Winners
The winners of this year's F.X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production include Steve Brandt of Steve's Livestock Transport in Blumenort, MB, Jules Poiron/ Warren Toles of AcuShot™ Inc in Winnipeg, MB, and George Stahl of Veteran Colony in Veteran, AB. "All three of this year's award winners are very deserving," says Ruurd Zijlstra of the University of Alberta, chair of the F.X. Aherne prize committee. "These awards honor the memory of Dr. Aherne, who was responsible for a number of innovations that the pork industry still benefits from today," says Zijlstra. "They are an important recognition of those who continue to make innovative contributions to the pork production industry Steve Brandt received the award for a revolutionary waterloading trailer. This trailer allows for more space to be utilized for the animals and a new system for regulating temperature and indicated a 40% decrease in DOAs. Jules Poiron/ Warren Toles earned the award for their invention the AcuShot™. It is a battery operated, high workload, handheld, mass vaccination injector. It can be used on a hands-free stand for smaller livestock like new born piglets and poultry or can be used with a remote injection hand piece for easy use with larger livestock. George Stahl's innovative re-design of a loading facility that would make it easier on both staff and animals during the loading process. The loading facility consists of a changeable ramp to reduce the level of incline required for the hogs to be loaded on both upper and lower decks of the shipping trailer. Loading times were reduced from 35 minutes to 15 minutes for 190 hogs and could now be accomplished by one person instead of two or three. Previous Prize Winners
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