2015 Farmers Weekly Awards: Poultry Farmer of the Year finalists revealed

• James Baxter
• Daniel Fairburn
• Dan Wood

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards finalists

Glenhead Farm, Stranraer, Dumfriesshire

James Baxter © Jim Varney

“Do it yourself” is the name of the game at Glenhead Farm on the south-west tip of Scotland, where free-range egg producer James Baxter has built up one of the best-performing flocks in the country.

“We only hire people so we can learn from them and do it ourselves in the future,” he says. “It’s the Ulster influence in me.”

This independent approach has seen the family go from a ­standing start to running a highly profitable 64,000-bird unit, complete with renewable energy investments and manure dryers, in just five years.

Having worked off-farm as a feed rep for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, James took over the family farm in 2001, following the death of his mother.

The farm came with a heavy debt burden and was being rented out. But he was determined to farm in his own right and recognised that, if he was to turn things around, it would have to be something fairly intensive. Keeping chickens fitted the bill.

Finding the capital to set up in egg production was challenging, especially when the credit crunch hit as preparations for building the first shed were being made.

But perseverance paid off, and a combination of a loan from the Clydesdale Bank and a grant under the Scottish Rural Development Programme saw the completion of the first two 16,000-layer units in 2010, for a total investment of £1.3m.

Installation work

“Apart from building the sheds and laying the concrete, we did everything ourselves,” James recalls. “Each shed took 2,500 man-hours of installation work, as we screwed together 75t of equipment. Doing it ourselves puts us in the driving seat when it comes to breakdowns and maintenance.”

Building on the success of the first houses, a third house was added in 2012, followed by a fourth in 2014. Total flock size is now 64,000, following an investment of £2.5m.

Indicative of his forward-thinking approach, James made an early decision to install multi-tier facilities. “It was obviously the future at the time we were coming in, and we wanted to be in tune with the future.”

Multi-tier has several benefits, he maintains, both for the hen and the farmer. It gives the birds a “play frame”, while reducing the size of the shed needed for a given flock size. The birds generate more heat, he adds, while feed consumption is reduced.

This is evidenced by exceptional performance figures, with the most recent flock producing 327 eggs at 72 weeks, with an average feed consumption of 122g a hen a day and 4% seconds. The birds are fed 45 minutes before lights out. “This makes sure they wake up wanting to lay, rather than wanting to eat.”

All eggs are sold to Noble Foods on a Happy Egg contract. As well as earning maximum bonuses, James has recently signed a four-year feed linked contract, to protect margins should feed costs rise.

Staffing is very much a family affair, with James’ three sons, his brother and his wife, Margaret, fully involved in the business. “It really is a family business – exactly what the farming industry needs.”

Cost control is tight. James keeps a spreadsheet for just about everything. “If you can measure it, you can control it,” is his mantra.

Much use is made of probiotics, which James says has made a huge difference. The product is introduced at the base of each hopper, using a home-made mixer, and feed consumption has dropped by another 10g a hen a day. As well as saving money, the farm has not had to use any antibiotics for the past three years as bird health has improved.

There is also considerable emphasis on renewables at Glenhead Farm, with two 198kW biomass boilers rigged up, providing heat for everything from the laundry room to the manure dryers in the chicken sheds.

Better atmosphere

As well as earning a good income from the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, this also improves the atmo­sphere for the birds, lifts layer performance, while producing a more valuable, semi-dry manure, which James hopes, in time, to pelletise.

There is also a 225kW wind turbine – imported from Estonia, self-erected, of course – providing electricity for the chicken sheds, as well as powering immersion heaters to warm the water for manure drying.

Beyond all this, James has an active tree-planting campaign, covering 40% of the ranges, and also finds time for involvement with the British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association, where he is currently vice-chairman.

With an eye to the future, a planning application has recently been submitted for another three sheds, to add 48,000 birds to the burgeoning business.

Ivy House Farm, Alford, Lincolnshire

Daniel Fairburn © Tim Scrivener

From hen house to shop shelf, egg production for Daniel Fairburn is all about running a slick supply chain, while embracing change.

The family firm’s departure from Noble Foods three years ago has been well publicised.

“It really was sink or swim,” Daniel recalls. “Having borrowed £10m to bring existing chicken units up to EU standards, it became clear that, to succeed and repay the loans, it was time to cut out the middleman.”

But, while circumstances may have forced his hand, it still took courage and commitment to succeed.

“We realised we were already in control of everything, from milling our own feed, rearing all our own pullets, producing eggs by all methods and packing them. The only part of the supply chain we did not have control of was marketing and distribution direct into retail.”

The aim was to de-risk the operation, moving away from being ­dependent on one major packer, to having a spread of retail customers. This has enabled the business to secure a greater share of the retail margin, and so improve profits.

And the strategy has worked. An initial contract for 2,300 cases of eggs a week was signed with Aldi in late 2012. And since then, the business has secured contracts with Iceland, Asda, the Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Bidvest Foodservice (formerly 3663). ­Fairburn’s is now supplying 34,000 cases of Class A eggs to retail every week.

Progressive

“Many people warned us against talking to retailers directly,” says Daniel. “But we soon realised we did not need a salesman acting on our behalf. The majority of retailers like the fact they are dealing with a young, progressive family, who know the business inside out.”

Post “Horsegate”, the fact that he is able to offer the supermarkets a short, integrated supply chain has also gone down well.

Growth has been exponential, with turnover rising from £12m in 2010 to an expected £60m in 2015 – a 500% increase. Profit has also improved significantly, while the family has reinvested more than £17m over the same time period.

This has included a Moba 530 grader, a new 33,000sq ft packing centre and a fleet of 13 lorries to collect and distribute eggs nationwide. Ovotrack systems ensure full traceability in the firm’s two packing centres.

Of course, marketing has been at the heart of the new strategy, including the launch of a new brand – Fairburn’s Lincolnshire Free Range Eggs, which focuses on the family heritage. Each pack sold generates a 1p donation to the Nottingham and Lincolnshire Air Ambulance.

And it does not end there: the company is also active on social media, running competitions and sharing recipe ideas. It works closely with a marketing agency to ensure regular media exposure. Sponsorship initiatives include providing shirts for two junior football teams, and supporting the Belchford Downhill Challenge – a local soapbox race.

And last year Daniel was heavily involved in a charity ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, helping to raise £49,000 for Farm Africa.

In his heart, however, Daniel is still very much a chicken farmer. “My father and grandfather taught me that the chickens always come first. You don’t work for the farm – you are married to it.”

Production is certainly diverse, covering colony cage, free range, barn and organic. Daniel has a clear preference for multi-tier, which provides a better atmosphere, as the manure is removed twice weekly. At his insistence, the manufacturers also installed an extra line of drinkers at the top of the newer structures, to improve welfare and productivity.

Tables have also been put into rearing sheds to prepare pullets better for a life in multi-tier units. And stockmen are being provided with handheld tablets to improve data entry and monitoring.

Assurance standards

He is also willing to seek and take outside advice and has recently signed up ex-Freedom Food agriculture manager Bob Waller as a consultant, to help raise welfare and ensure all farm assurance standards are being met.

Combined with taking on a new vet and lifting biosecurity standards, overall performance has much improved. Egg production is on an upward trend – now averaging 305 eggs/year on the free-range flocks – while improved sanitation in rear has seen mortality drop to 1.75% at 16 weeks.

Better gut health has seen daily feed consumption drop to 125g a bird in the free-range flock and 120g a bird in the colony unit. Birds are checked three times a day.

“Welfare is key to everything we do,” says Daniel. “Without healthy, strong and happy birds, the business would not be able to function.”

Blackacre Farm, Templecombe, Somerset

Dan Wood © Jim Wileman

The range of poultry to be found at Blackacre Farm may be diverse, but the business is as tightly focused as any you will come across.

“Our brand is one of the strongest things we have and we work very hard to keep this fresh,” says Dan. “In a competitive market it is important we have an edge over our competition – not only in how we look after our girls, but also in how we sell and promote their eggs.”

That much is obvious from the latest incarnation of Blackacre packaging, created with the help of a local designer.

There are distinct labels for each of the three species – Rambling Free for the free-range hen eggs, Foraging Free for the quail eggs and Waddling Free for the duck eggs. Each pack has silhouettes of the birds, set against a richly coloured skyline. They look modern, fresh and relevant.

Indeed, such was the impact of Blackacre’s branding, that Selfridges in London even offered a listing for the quail eggs before any birds had actually arrived on farm.

Independent appeal

The brand design has been created specifically to appeal to independent retailers, which are the mainstay of the customer base.

While some of the firm’s eggs end up in local Asda and Tesco stores, the majority are distributed to more than 600 independents throughout the South West.

“We do not allow more than 30% of our eggs to go to any one contract, as I have to be able to afford to lose it,” Dan explains. He is also wary of falling victim to the ongoing price war among supermarkets, and feels the business is safer with a more diverse customer base.

There is also a strong emphasis on provenance, which means Blackacre eggs command a healthy premium, especially in some of the London outlets.

“We’re more about selling on quality than price,” says Dan. “The longer it takes to win a customer, the longer they’ll stay with you. If you gain their custom on price, you will lose their custom on price.”

This philosophy has helped secure the steady growth of the business, with a 25% turnover increase in three years. Hen numbers are set to increase again, from 170,000 to 250,000 by the end of the year.

Most of the hens are on 14 contracted farms, with just 3,000 birds kept at Blackacre Farm – in three flocks of 1,000, housed in old Morspan mobile units.

“We see ourselves as something of a trial farm,” says Dan. “If we want to change anything, we’ll try it out here before extending it to the rest of the business.”

Contracted producers are given a fairly free rein in the way they operate, though they are required to run small flocks – less than 6,000 – and use a specially-formulated diet to meet the Rambling Free standards.

Team spirit is clearly important. “We keep our ever-growing band of producers up to date with regular emails, and arrange get-togethers for the whole team, so they feel part of the family.”

Dan says there is a total commitment to free range, which extends to ducks and quails – a fairly recent addition to the farm. There are currently 2,400 Khaki Campbells in four flocks, housed in the same type of shed as the hens.

Indicative of Dan’s “can do” attitude, much of the duck management has been learned by trial and error. “There are few rules and regulations for laying ducks, so we basically follow the Lion Code, and they have done very well.” The birds, which arrive as day-olds from the firm’s own breeder flock in Devon, are reared on farm.

Khaki Campbells were chosen as they are a smaller bird, eat just 140g/day, range well and produce a smaller egg, which can be handled by the same Moba 3500 grader as the hen eggs. “Demand is outstripping supply, so we have plans to go up to 6,000, with three producers lined up.”

Quail egg production adds a third string to the bow, with 1,000 birds kept in separate runs. While they are fairly labour-intensive, they do earn a healthy £1.50/doz for the eggs.

Diversification into ducks and quails has also opened up new markets. “We have been targeting delis, garden centres and farm shops with our duck and quail eggs, but have seen a corresponding uplift in hen egg sales, as people have started to seek out the brand.”

Environmental management

As well as egg production and marketing, Dan takes a keen interest in environmental management, taking great care of the hedgerows that characterise the local countryside.

The farm is also part of the Tesco Farm to Fork initiative for schools, and Dan and his wife, Briony, are active on the Farming for the Family committee at the Royal Bath and West Show. They have also raised more than £11,000 for the Send a Cow charity for Africa through the sale of their eggs.

Poultry Farmer of the Year is sponsored by Moy Park

“We would like to congratulate each of the finalists. Moy Park works with more than 800 poultry farmers across the UK and we recognise the dedication, commitment and passion required to succeed in the poultry sector. Each of this year’s finalists have demonstrated industry-leading standards and we wish them continued success”

Alan Gibson, UK and Ireland director