Happy official first day of fall, as I am penning this, a cool morning so no combines moving quite yet. Although around this area anyway, they have been making great time with warm breezy afternoons. With the fall season brings the many opportunities to refresh and rekindle our minds with the various seminars and workshops in the near future. Our brains are a muscle, and like any other muscle needs to be used to keep it strong. Prairie Hog Country in the few upcoming editions will have coverage from these functions for those who were not able to attend in person. Agendas have been finalized for both the Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop held on October 19, and the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium taking place November 15 &16. Online registration is now available for the Banff Pork Seminar too. Be sure to book your rooms on site as they have a block on hold. Check out banffpork.ca for all the details. It was a year ago that Prairie Hog Country included an article titled “CFIA border decision raises threat of PEDv return to Manitoba,” and here we are a year later. Another two recent cases of PED in Manitoba has made so many of us in the industry wonder what is going on in the heads of CFIA and why for some unforsaken reason they don’t want to revisit the truck washing protocol. Again it can’t be proven that is where the contamination came from, but shouldn’t we as a responsible industry take every precaution. I know that many of the haulers are at their own expense and time rewashing once north of the 49th, and as an industry we thank them for their due diligence. With Thanksgiving right around the corner it gives all of us a chance to be appreciative of all the wonderful blessings we have in our lives. All we have to do is watch the news and we are reminded of this. The release dates are now finalized for 2017 and with that will mark the 21st year of publishing for Prairie Hog Country. I will be getting those out to companies soon so those who plan ahead can start looking at budgets. As in the past years three of the six issues I will print extra copies and bring along to trade shows. Prairie Hog Country will continue to maintain a booth presence at Cramer Livestock Expo, Alberta Pork Congress and either Prairie Livestock Expo in Winnipeg or the alternate year Hog Days in Brandon. Producers tell me consistently that they appreciate us taking the time to come and support the shows and fellow industry at a local level. If you have any questions about next year’s rates, dates or deadlines please do let me know. As always I am only a phone call or email away. Prairie Hog Country, Box 5536, Leduc, Alberta T9E 2A1, 780.986.0962, fax 780.980.9640 or email: hogcountry@shaw.ca Talk to you in December.