The Elite Swine Management Program was established in 1982. It had a solid track record, state of the art programs, first class research facilities, a well-developed marketing program and an excellent base of qualified and experienced staff. The program allowed independent hog producers to specialize within their own operations and, work together with other producers to achieve the benefits and economies associated with large scale multiple site production operations. The program was based on certain key elements that were applied consistently by all operators. This produced a consistent and premium quality end product. Elite Swine Inc. coordinated the activities of various independent producers, managed the key elements of the program, and marketed the finished hogs.

Elite Swine Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. The company was serving swine producers in Western Canada for many years and had a well-earned reputation for honesty and integrity. Through its Elite Swine Management Program the company coordinated the production of over 50,000 sows which were capable of producing over 1,000,000 market hogs annually.

The Elite Swine Management Program was able to attract large numbers of highly qualified, capable, and dedicated independent producers, and was the largest program of its kind in Canada.