Tag Archives: Evaluating poultry markets to ensure Canada’s supply management system is efficient & innovative.

A Nuffield Scholar’s Agenda, #Nuffield16

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Turkey Production Unit, UK
Royal Agricultural University

Opening new doors has opened my mind through Nuffield, but this doesn’t just happen, it occurs because of a willingness of people to meet, share and engage about their business and personal experiences. Many of you have asked about my agenda while travelling abroad, so here is a summary from the three days in the UK this week.

John Alliston, Former Dean, Nuffield Alumni, Royal Agricultural University

  • Agriculture education, relevancy and attracting talent to the sector
  • Historical walk down memory lane connecting with profs from my time in ’99-‘00
  • Leadership in agriculture; John coaches, promotes and encourages continuous learning

Martin Waite, Regional Manager – Agricultural Mortgage Company, Division of Lloyds Banking

  • On farm debt levels, ratios and ability to react in volatile markets
  • A comparison of UK vs CDN ag banking systems
  • Farmers focus on risk mitigation through the use of fixed rate 30 & 40 year loans

Malcom, Liz and Tom Hughes – Salford Lodge Farm, 600,000 Unit Broiler & Diversified Farm

  • An evolution from converting turkey production to broiler chickens
  • The continuous improvement of poultry housing, meeting a growing demand for product
  • Understanding the business cash flows, including turnover of barns every 7 weeks
  • UK chicken: windows, campylobacter, marketing and a need to comply

Richard Hutchinson – Sales & Marketing Director – Europe, Aviagen Turkeys

  • The future of European turkey production evolving with changing demands and markets
  • Opportunities and challenges in growth segments of turkey domestically and abroad
  • A balancing act of expanding markets while adhering to the genetic research, development and time invested

Dan Roberts – Area Farm Manager Supervisor, Faccenda Foods

  • A randomized connection through the Nuffield/Social Media network
  • Mutual exchange around the benefits of the professional development, especially Nuffield
  • Talking production, logistics and farm management of corporate owned poultry units

Burgess Adams – Adams Turkey Farm, 6 shed, 24,000-unit turkey grow out farm

  • Commercial turkey production grown from 5 to 19 weeks of aged, brooded offsite, utilizing the Grader Maker variety
  • 22 years of turkey experience working with at least three processors as the industry evolved through stagnant and even shrinking market growth
  • Being on site and in the barn was a terrific experience to witness the small things; bale carriers, radiated heat and assessing litter quality

Alastair West – Senior Category Manager, Poultry – Faccenda Foods

  • Fascinating to actually have a turkey product specialist go through the steps needed to develop and launch a new product
  • Making a consideration that turkey is not chicken and that real substation is coming from the red meat sector
  • All about the 5 P’s, Product, Price, Promotion, Placement and Profit – need every single element
  • Relationship, relationship, relationship – at the processor/retailer level in order to gain success
New Chicken Barn, 2015
Heavy Toms or Stags as they say in the UK

“The Why”

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Why? The re-occurring question…. Well, this is my attempt at answering with what I know now..

I am invested; that is the over-riding reason why I applied to be a 2016 Nuffield Canada Scholar. It is about my family, our business, my family’s businesses, my clients businesses and our Canadian industry and all of the people linked through rural communities and the supplier community; I am invested on many fronts in supply management.

As the application deadline loomed in April 2015, so too did the impending trade talks which would potentially affect our supply managed commodities; with that in mind I applied by asking the bigger questions of ‘what if’.  Although that short term question of instability created by global trade pressure may have appeared to pass for the time being, the bigger question of how supply management continues to evolve in Canada is top of mind.  As such, I have refined my thoughts:

“Evaluating poultry markets to ensure Canada’s supply management system is efficient & innovative.”

Given the recent trade announcements and apparent stability, now is the time to ensure our systems are remaining relevant, efficient and ultimately meeting the needs of all members in the value chain from the farmer to the consumer.

As other geo political pressures mount, be it the need to feed the 9 Billion people by 2050 or the aggressive export plans for my fellow pork and beef producer to market into Asia, I think it is very relevant to ask the questions ensuring our system that is nearly 50 years old remains relevant for the next generation of farmers with ever so increasing consumer demands.

The goals over the next 18 months include extensive travel plans through Europe, Asia, Australia and North America; asking the questions about market organization, the role orderly markets and farmer/processor/consumer relationship are evolving and the affect it has back on the farm.  Through open communication, looking outside the daily lens of Canadian agriculture; my goal is to shed light on how our system can continue to meet the needs of the Canadian market.

The Nuffield program was introduced to me a few years ago by local farmers and friends; having followed the program with interest, I was amazed to see the progress individuals made in their own lives but also in their local peer group around them by giving back their gifts through speaking, coaching and encouraging leadership in Canadian agriculture.

So as I embark on this journey, I go as ‘Clair Doan – Nuffield Scholar’ I still have in my head these questions – Why apply, why now, why not wait, why would you do this?

In life there is no perfect time to do anything; however it is through the support of my wife Kathryn, my children; whom seem too young to comprehend, my employer, my family and friends; I am eternally grateful.