FW Awards 2011: Poultry Farmer of the Year nominees Nick and Claire Bragg

2011 Farmers Weekly Awards Poultry Farmer of the Year finalist, sponsored by Vion

Nick and Claire Bragg:  Nettlecombe, Frogmary Green Farm, South Petherton, Somerset

Nick and Claire Bragg have an aim in life – “to continue to produce chicken to the highest welfare standard, while still being able to protect and enhance the environment”.

But their “mission statement” goes further than that. “We are also passionate about promoting agriculture by opening our gates to local schools, our customers, clubs and farmers.”

In an industry which is naturally cautious about letting the outside world in, it is a refreshingly bold approach.

But Nick and Claire have much to be proud of.

They only started in broiler production five years ago, when they inherited two small chicken sheds at Illminster, eight miles from where they were already running a potato and contracting business.

The Braggs set about refurbishing the 1,222 sq m units, including new feeders, drinkers, insulation, roof and windows. “We revamped the lot and slowly but surely started to get more and more passionate about broilers,” says Nick.

With the money coming in, thanks to a contract with Hook2Sisters, the Braggs then applied for planning permission for two more sheds at their home Frogmary Green Farm at South Petherton.

This was accepted – “our local council likes to have an active farm on the edge of the village”, they explain – and in 2009 two more sheds totalling 2,790 sq m, were erected alongside their potato stores.

Production now comes to 375,000 birds a year, all produced to Freedom Foods standards. “We have looked at standard production too, but Freedom Foods works for us and we enjoy the production method better,” says Claire.

And walking into one of the sheds it’s easy to understand why. The Hubbard birds are stocked less densely, they have perches and bales to stand on, CDs and maize cobs to peck at and plenty of natural light.

The downside is lower feed conversion and longer production cycles, but growth rates are consistently ahead of target and the contract pays a premium of 8p/kg over standard broilers.

“As contract growers, we are somewhat detached from the market, so we concentrate on doing the best production job we can,” says Nick. “We hand weigh our birds weekly and feed that information to the factory. It gives us a real feel for how the birds are doing.”

The buildings have three forms of ventilation – Draper recirculation units, side wall extraction fans and tunnel ventilation to ensure maximum bird comfort. There is continual monitoring of the houses, to provide the best environment possible.

Financial management is also critical: “We do detailed margin analysis for each crop, with cash flow forecasts for the next five years,” says Nick. The Braggs are also members of the Sainsbury’s grower group, which ensures twice-yearly meetings with buyers.

There is also a strong emphasis on sharing experiences with others. The installation in 2010 of a 300kW woodchip boiler, which is saving £17,000 a year in fuel costs, has attracted particular interest from local farmers.

Telling the story to retailers is equally important and the Braggs have hosted Sainsbury’s local store managers, to help them understand how chicken is produced.

But the greatest emphasis is on children’s education. Claire is the farm adviser to the local primary school, and more than 1,000 children have visited the farm in the past two years.

The children do not actually enter the sheds, but there are glass doors so they get a good view inside. “It’s a great feeling showing people around – we get a real buzz from it,” says Claire.

Environmental improvement is equally important. As well as being in the ELS and HLS, the Braggs have put their own money into developing a pond and wildlife area. “We care deeply about the environment, and are keen to show how modern food production can co-exist with protecting nature and the countryside.”

With an eye on further expansion, the Braggs already have planning permission for two more sheds to take production to 726,000 chickens a year. In keeping with their spirit of openness, the plans include an internal viewing area so the public can see what is going on.