Harry Shepherd has had success in his first year as a broiler farmer, achieving an EPEF of over 400 despite health challenges. He is now expanding by building a second, larger shed that can house 48,000 birds. Harry has also improved his management practices, such as installing larger fans and changing to a Flockman feeding system that has reduced mortality and improved growth and feed efficiency. He has plans to continue expanding to six sheds over the next 10 years.
A business plan is a written document that describes in detail how a business—usually a startup—defines its objectives and how it is to go about achieving its goals. A business plan lays out a written roadmap for the firm from marketing, financial, and operational standpoints.
Business plans are important documents used to attract investment before a company has established a proven track record. They are also a good way for companies to keep themselves on target going forward.
Although they're especially useful for new businesses, every company should have a business plan. Ideally, the plan is reviewed and updated periodically to see if goals have been met or have changed and evolved. Sometimes, a new business plan is created for an established business that has decided to move in a new direction.
A business plan is a written document that describes in detail how a business—usually a startup—defines its objectives and how it is to go about achieving its goals. A business plan lays out a written roadmap for the firm from marketing, financial, and operational standpoints.
Business plans are important documents used to attract investment before a company has established a proven track record. They are also a good way for companies to keep themselves on target going forward.
Although they're especially useful for new businesses, every company should have a business plan. Ideally, the plan is reviewed and updated periodically to see if goals have been met or have changed and evolved. Sometimes, a new business plan is created for an established business that has decided to move in a new direction.
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsPixeldarts
The realm of product design is a constantly changing environment where technology and style intersect. Every year introduces fresh challenges and exciting trends that mold the future of this captivating art form. In this piece, we delve into the significant trends set to influence the look and functionality of product design in the year 2024.
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthThinkNow
Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.
To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.
Technology
For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.
While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis.
Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.
Age and Gender
When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.
Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.
Race Affects Attitudes
As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfmarketingartwork
This article is all about what AI trends will emerge in the field of creative operations in 2024. All the marketers and brand builders should be aware of these trends for their further use and save themselves some time!
A report by thenetworkone and Kurio.
The contributing experts and agencies are (in an alphabetical order): Sylwia Rytel, Social Media Supervisor, 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT (PL), Sharlene Jenner, Vice President - Director of Engagement Strategy, Abelson Taylor (USA), Alex Casanovas, Digital Director, Atrevia (ES), Dora Beilin, Senior Social Strategist, Barrett Hoffher (USA), Min Seo, Campaign Director, Brand New Agency (KR), Deshé M. Gully, Associate Strategist, Day One Agency (USA), Francesca Trevisan, Strategist, Different (IT), Trevor Crossman, CX and Digital Transformation Director; Olivia Hussey, Strategic Planner; Simi Srinarula, Social Media Manager, The Hallway (AUS), James Hebbert, Managing Director, Hylink (CN / UK), Mundy Álvarez, Planning Director; Pedro Rojas, Social Media Manager; Pancho González, CCO, Inbrax (CH), Oana Oprea, Head of Digital Planning, Jam Session Agency (RO), Amy Bottrill, Social Account Director, Launch (UK), Gaby Arriaga, Founder, Leonardo1452 (MX), Shantesh S Row, Creative Director, Liwa (UAE), Rajesh Mehta, Chief Strategy Officer; Dhruv Gaur, Digital Planning Lead; Leonie Mergulhao, Account Supervisor - Social Media & PR, Medulla (IN), Aurelija Plioplytė, Head of Digital & Social, Not Perfect (LI), Daiana Khaidargaliyeva, Account Manager, Osaka Labs (UK / USA), Stefanie Söhnchen, Vice President Digital, PIABO Communications (DE), Elisabeth Winiartati, Managing Consultant, Head of Global Integrated Communications; Lydia Aprina, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Nita Prabowo, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Okhi, Web Developer, PNTR Group (ID), Kei Obusan, Insights Director; Daffi Ranandi, Insights Manager, Radarr (SG), Gautam Reghunath, Co-founder & CEO, Talented (IN), Donagh Humphreys, Head of Social and Digital Innovation, THINKHOUSE (IRE), Sarah Yim, Strategy Director, Zulu Alpha Kilo (CA).
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Search Engine Journal
The search marketing landscape is evolving rapidly with new technologies, and professionals, like you, rely on innovative paid search strategies to meet changing demands.
It’s important that you’re ready to implement new strategies in 2024.
Check this out and learn the top trends in paid search advertising that are expected to gain traction, so you can drive higher ROI more efficiently in 2024.
You’ll learn:
- The latest trends in AI and automation, and what this means for an evolving paid search ecosystem.
- New developments in privacy and data regulation.
- Emerging ad formats that are expected to make an impact next year.
Watch Sreekant Lanka from iQuanti and Irina Klein from OneMain Financial as they dive into the future of paid search and explore the trends, strategies, and technologies that will shape the search marketing landscape.
If you’re looking to assess your paid search strategy and design an industry-aligned plan for 2024, then this webinar is for you.
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summarySpeakerHub
From their humble beginnings in 1984, TED has grown into the world’s most powerful amplifier for speakers and thought-leaders to share their ideas. They have over 2,400 filmed talks (not including the 30,000+ TEDx videos) freely available online, and have hosted over 17,500 events around the world.
With over one billion views in a year, it’s no wonder that so many speakers are looking to TED for ideas on how to share their message more effectively.
The article “5 Public-Speaking Tips TED Gives Its Speakers”, by Carmine Gallo for Forbes, gives speakers five practical ways to connect with their audience, and effectively share their ideas on stage.
Whether you are gearing up to get on a TED stage yourself, or just want to master the skills that so many of their speakers possess, these tips and quotes from Chris Anderson, the TED Talks Curator, will encourage you to make the most impactful impression on your audience.
See the full article and more summaries like this on SpeakerHub here: https://speakerhub.com/blog/5-presentation-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers
See the original article on Forbes here:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2016/05/06/5-public-speaking-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers/&refURL=&referrer=#5c07a8221d9b
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd Clark Boyd
Everyone is in agreement that ChatGPT (and other generative AI tools) will shape the future of work. Yet there is little consensus on exactly how, when, and to what extent this technology will change our world.
Businesses that extract maximum value from ChatGPT will use it as a collaborative tool for everything from brainstorming to technical maintenance.
For individuals, now is the time to pinpoint the skills the future professional will need to thrive in the AI age.
Check out this presentation to understand what ChatGPT is, how it will shape the future of work, and how you can prepare to take advantage.
A brief introduction to DataScience with explaining of the concepts, algorithms, machine learning, supervised and unsupervised learning, clustering, statistics, data preprocessing, real-world applications etc.
It's part of a Data Science Corner Campaign where I will be discussing the fundamentals of DataScience, AIML, Statistics etc.
Time Management & Productivity - Best PracticesVit Horky
Here's my presentation on by proven best practices how to manage your work time effectively and how to improve your productivity. It includes practical tips and how to use tools such as Slack, Google Apps, Hubspot, Google Calendar, Gmail and others.
The six step guide to practical project managementMindGenius
The six step guide to practical project management
If you think managing projects is too difficult, think again.
We’ve stripped back project management processes to the
basics – to make it quicker and easier, without sacrificing
the vital ingredients for success.
“If you’re looking for some real-world guidance, then The Six Step Guide to Practical Project Management will help.”
Dr Andrew Makar, Tactical Project Management
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsPixeldarts
The realm of product design is a constantly changing environment where technology and style intersect. Every year introduces fresh challenges and exciting trends that mold the future of this captivating art form. In this piece, we delve into the significant trends set to influence the look and functionality of product design in the year 2024.
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthThinkNow
Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.
To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.
Technology
For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.
While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis.
Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.
Age and Gender
When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.
Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.
Race Affects Attitudes
As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfmarketingartwork
This article is all about what AI trends will emerge in the field of creative operations in 2024. All the marketers and brand builders should be aware of these trends for their further use and save themselves some time!
A report by thenetworkone and Kurio.
The contributing experts and agencies are (in an alphabetical order): Sylwia Rytel, Social Media Supervisor, 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT (PL), Sharlene Jenner, Vice President - Director of Engagement Strategy, Abelson Taylor (USA), Alex Casanovas, Digital Director, Atrevia (ES), Dora Beilin, Senior Social Strategist, Barrett Hoffher (USA), Min Seo, Campaign Director, Brand New Agency (KR), Deshé M. Gully, Associate Strategist, Day One Agency (USA), Francesca Trevisan, Strategist, Different (IT), Trevor Crossman, CX and Digital Transformation Director; Olivia Hussey, Strategic Planner; Simi Srinarula, Social Media Manager, The Hallway (AUS), James Hebbert, Managing Director, Hylink (CN / UK), Mundy Álvarez, Planning Director; Pedro Rojas, Social Media Manager; Pancho González, CCO, Inbrax (CH), Oana Oprea, Head of Digital Planning, Jam Session Agency (RO), Amy Bottrill, Social Account Director, Launch (UK), Gaby Arriaga, Founder, Leonardo1452 (MX), Shantesh S Row, Creative Director, Liwa (UAE), Rajesh Mehta, Chief Strategy Officer; Dhruv Gaur, Digital Planning Lead; Leonie Mergulhao, Account Supervisor - Social Media & PR, Medulla (IN), Aurelija Plioplytė, Head of Digital & Social, Not Perfect (LI), Daiana Khaidargaliyeva, Account Manager, Osaka Labs (UK / USA), Stefanie Söhnchen, Vice President Digital, PIABO Communications (DE), Elisabeth Winiartati, Managing Consultant, Head of Global Integrated Communications; Lydia Aprina, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Nita Prabowo, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Okhi, Web Developer, PNTR Group (ID), Kei Obusan, Insights Director; Daffi Ranandi, Insights Manager, Radarr (SG), Gautam Reghunath, Co-founder & CEO, Talented (IN), Donagh Humphreys, Head of Social and Digital Innovation, THINKHOUSE (IRE), Sarah Yim, Strategy Director, Zulu Alpha Kilo (CA).
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Search Engine Journal
The search marketing landscape is evolving rapidly with new technologies, and professionals, like you, rely on innovative paid search strategies to meet changing demands.
It’s important that you’re ready to implement new strategies in 2024.
Check this out and learn the top trends in paid search advertising that are expected to gain traction, so you can drive higher ROI more efficiently in 2024.
You’ll learn:
- The latest trends in AI and automation, and what this means for an evolving paid search ecosystem.
- New developments in privacy and data regulation.
- Emerging ad formats that are expected to make an impact next year.
Watch Sreekant Lanka from iQuanti and Irina Klein from OneMain Financial as they dive into the future of paid search and explore the trends, strategies, and technologies that will shape the search marketing landscape.
If you’re looking to assess your paid search strategy and design an industry-aligned plan for 2024, then this webinar is for you.
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summarySpeakerHub
From their humble beginnings in 1984, TED has grown into the world’s most powerful amplifier for speakers and thought-leaders to share their ideas. They have over 2,400 filmed talks (not including the 30,000+ TEDx videos) freely available online, and have hosted over 17,500 events around the world.
With over one billion views in a year, it’s no wonder that so many speakers are looking to TED for ideas on how to share their message more effectively.
The article “5 Public-Speaking Tips TED Gives Its Speakers”, by Carmine Gallo for Forbes, gives speakers five practical ways to connect with their audience, and effectively share their ideas on stage.
Whether you are gearing up to get on a TED stage yourself, or just want to master the skills that so many of their speakers possess, these tips and quotes from Chris Anderson, the TED Talks Curator, will encourage you to make the most impactful impression on your audience.
See the full article and more summaries like this on SpeakerHub here: https://speakerhub.com/blog/5-presentation-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers
See the original article on Forbes here:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2016/05/06/5-public-speaking-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers/&refURL=&referrer=#5c07a8221d9b
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd Clark Boyd
Everyone is in agreement that ChatGPT (and other generative AI tools) will shape the future of work. Yet there is little consensus on exactly how, when, and to what extent this technology will change our world.
Businesses that extract maximum value from ChatGPT will use it as a collaborative tool for everything from brainstorming to technical maintenance.
For individuals, now is the time to pinpoint the skills the future professional will need to thrive in the AI age.
Check out this presentation to understand what ChatGPT is, how it will shape the future of work, and how you can prepare to take advantage.
A brief introduction to DataScience with explaining of the concepts, algorithms, machine learning, supervised and unsupervised learning, clustering, statistics, data preprocessing, real-world applications etc.
It's part of a Data Science Corner Campaign where I will be discussing the fundamentals of DataScience, AIML, Statistics etc.
Time Management & Productivity - Best PracticesVit Horky
Here's my presentation on by proven best practices how to manage your work time effectively and how to improve your productivity. It includes practical tips and how to use tools such as Slack, Google Apps, Hubspot, Google Calendar, Gmail and others.
The six step guide to practical project managementMindGenius
The six step guide to practical project management
If you think managing projects is too difficult, think again.
We’ve stripped back project management processes to the
basics – to make it quicker and easier, without sacrificing
the vital ingredients for success.
“If you’re looking for some real-world guidance, then The Six Step Guide to Practical Project Management will help.”
Dr Andrew Makar, Tactical Project Management
2. REPRINTED FROM SEPTEMBER 2014 ✱ POULTRYWORLDPOULTRYWORLD ✱ SEPTEMBER 2014
19THE NEW ENTRANT18 THE NEW ENTRANT
People who have
got about 300-400
acres at home, who
are coming back from
university and want to
make their mark, have
been getting in touch
HARRYSHEPHERD
“
On the road to the next shed
❚ Builders are booked for a second shed, and construction is due to start
in April. The challenges and successes of the last few crops are feeding
into design tweaks. The headline change is that it will be a fair bit bigger.
“We’re going to go longer for the next shed, to about 400ft, as the site
will need an IPPC licence anyway.” That will take about 48,000 birds,
adding to the 38,000 capacity of the existing building.
“I’m going to install bigger roof fans, as well. Instead of 710mm fans,
I will go for between 800mm and 900mm, as I’ve found minimum
ventilation easier to manage using the roof rather than the gable end
fans. I want the best ventilation possible for those crucial first days of a
bird’s life.”
Gable end fans have thrown up another headache. The Flockman
system needs an even distribution of feed, and birds have been scared
to use those pans at the end of the line when the fans are spinning. This
means feed could be empty apart from at the final feeders, which con-
fuses the sensors. “I’ve moved the proximity sensors a bit further back,”
says Harry. “People on ad lib would say it didn’t matter, but it’s essential
with this system that the whole house is getting even amounts of feed.”
Harry’s bank has been pleased enough with the performance this year
to approve financing for the second shed, coupled with the purchase of
a biomass boiler. It means adding almost half a million pounds to the
mortgage, but it’s a mark of confidence in the 26-year-old.
After much consideration he is “almost settled” on a 500kW unit sup-
plied by EDM Energy, the firm run by friend and mentor Ed Barker. It’s
one of the only boilers registered for RHI to burn shredded pallet waste
– a key consideration. “Woodchip and wood pellet are going through the
roof; I can get shredded pallet waste for £40-50/t.” The reasoning behind
a 500kW boiler, when two at less than half that capacity would generate
more subsidy, is that capital expenditure is cut almost in half.
“I can’t wait to get the next shed up – the next chapter in my 10-year
plan. Instead of relying solely on the first, you can spread the risk if, say,
one gets a hit. It will be a lot of pressure off my mind.”
EXPANSIONPLANS
I
t was clear from the outset that
one standard broiler unit would
not be enough to occupy all
of Harry Shepherd’s attention
for long.
Even when Poultry World first vis-
ited his skeleton of a shed back in
September 2013, plans for expan-
sion, developing the business and
getting the best performance from
his birds were all well formed in
his mind.
Given 12 months in a commer-
cial setting, Harry has had a chance
to prove he is able to meet with
those measures that define early
success. Financially, the business
has progressed as expected, the
bank manager is happy enough to
extend the mortgage and builders
have now been booked for the con-
struction of a second shed.
Harry’s husbandry of the birds
has improved with each crop, and
this summer he achieved an EPEF
(European Production Efficiency
Factor) of just over 400. This is de-
spite health challenges and teething
problems with the new shed, its
equipment and operating it with a
relative lack of experience.
“The first year has thrown up so
many opportunities,” says Harry,
pointing to the different directions
that now face him following his
short time within the poultry in-
dustry.
He has had consultancy offers, is
providing telephone support for a
highly technical management sys-
tem, and is still able to have part-
time work that allows him to keep
personal expenditure and the poul-
try business profits separate.
HEATCONTROL
The big challenge in recent weeks
and months has been keeping the
shed temperate, despite an unusu-
ally hot stretch of weather. “Manag-
ing the ventilation in summer has
been a completely different ball-
Farm facts
❚ Forest Poultry
❚ One shed on a 5ha site
❚ 38,000 pre-sexed broilers
❚ Contracted to Sullivan Poultry
❚ Best EPEF of 401
Healthproblems
sorted,flockEPEF
soarstoover400
NewentrantHarryShepherdtells
JakeDavies of thechallenges and
achievements thathavearisen inhis
first12monthsasabroilerfarmer
lowered the price paid for poultry.
“Hopefully it’s a temporary thing,
and will come back round,” he says.
Therein lies the risks from the in-
dependent sector; the price of birds
can change mid-crop, and the cut
that is hurting right now happened
with birds already in sheds. It was
caused by a sudden glut of poultry
dumped on the wholesale market,
he explains.
Despite the challenges presented
with a price in flux, he is happy for
the moment with processor Sul-
livan’s, part of ABN.
Would he consider a switch to an
integrator? “On the whole I think it
works out to be more profitable to
be with an independent. The only
detractor with wholesale is plan-
ning, as supermarket suppliers will
set catching times when the crop
comes in. Planning would be much
easier.”
Feed cost coming down has been
the saving grace. But it has high-
lighted for Harry the importance
of buying at the right time. “If I’d
thought £160/t for wheat was cheap
six months ago, and had fixed be-
fore the price had come down, it
would have hurt the business.
“I need to get a little bit more
clued up on fixing feed,” he admits,
Equally, he says, he doesn’t want his
business to be run on the lines of a
man at the roulette table.
THEFUTURE
So there’s a lot in the pipeline
following the first 12 months of
our new entrant. In addition, he
has been taking phone calls from
friends who are also considering a
move into broiler growing. “People
who have got about 300-400 acres
at home, who are coming back from
university and want to make their
mark, have been getting in touch.”
One has asked Harry to consult on
the construction of his first shed.
His focus will remain on the
home farm, though, and the plan
to have six sheds within the first 10
years is a target that has every sign
of being met.
JIMVARNEY
Achangetofeedingpracticehashelpedboostflockperformance.
game to winter,” says Harry. “These
last two crops have been the most
difficult.”
For the first seven days, the heat
is not such a problem, he explains.
But when birds get larger and begin
putting on weight, keeping the tem-
perature under control became in-
creasingly difficult. “There was one
Saturday where I didn’t know where
to turn, really. Temperature was 3C
above set and rising. I didn’t dare
bring any more air into the shed
for fear of chilling birds without the
feather coverage.”
In the end, the temperature was
brought back under control, but a
more long-term fix meant a fun-
damental change in the ventilation
computer’s set-up. Instead of work-
ing on time, it now adjusts based
on temperature – just one of many
tweaks that has been made over
the last year to make management
easier.
FEEDINGSYSTEMS
One big change that Harry feels
helped give a boost to that all-im-
portant EPEF score was the intro-
duction of the FLOCKMAN feed
control system.
“It basically keeps an edge on
CLEANING
Another management tweak has
been a change of washing team.
Harry now takes one washer himself
and joins a team of three others, tak-
ing personal responsibility for about
a third of his building. “I quite like
doing it,” he says.
The last time Poultry World vis-
ited, the shed had experienced a
number of health problems. For
Harry it’s the hardest part of the
job. “It’s hugely demoralising, when
you go in to that shed and water
consumption is down, litter is wet
and the birds are looking unhappy.
“Generally, though, health is
much better. We’re still getting nig-
gles, and I don’t know where they
come from. I’m just really focused
on getting the right balance of air
and pressure, as well as continuing
to rotate litter to keep it from cap-
ping.”
MARKETING
The vagaries of operating in a free
market, and in the independent
side of the poultry sector – where
farmers finance their own feed and
chicks – has been a learning curve
for Harry. A challenge has recent-
ly reared its head as his integrator
the appetite,” he explains. Alternate
periods of light and dark are inter-
spersed with feeding sessions, and
pans are allowed to empty.
It trains birds to eat when food
appears, and means that appetites
are kept up when closer to slaughter
weight. Initial results seem promis-
ing, says Harry.
“Because you restrict feed,
growth is slowed in the early
stages, allowing for better devel-
opment. This cuts down on the
potential for ascites later in the
crop. There have probably been
60% fewer heart attacks since we’ve
begun using it.”
There has also been a big reduc-
tion in feed consumption overall,
combined with lower mortality and
better feed conversion. This has all
helped him attain an EPEF of 401.
He joins just a handful of UK farm-
ers that have managed to get above
that golden standard.
“The first crop with Flockman
was a bit of a nightmare,” admits
Harry. It added a lot of time and
effort to management. But once
the pan settings had been tweaked,
things began moving a lot more
smoothly. “I think it’s paid for itself
in a crop-and-a-half.”
PWO_010914_018-019rev.indd All Pages 16/09/2014 09:16
3. FLOCKMANA revolutionary way to feed broilers.
Birds are fed several feeds a day and not ad-lib.
The birds tell FLOCKMAN how much feed they need.
Results: lower Mortality, better growth, FCR, EPEF and profit.
Needs stockmen to learn “Feed Pan Management” techniques.
Took David Filmer (ex BOCM Technical Director, Dalgety) 25 years to work out!
Payback in 1-2 crops: e-mail harry-shepherd@hotmail.co.uk or Tel 07725 899716.
9 International trials 2.2 M birds
Results 36-46 day old A/H flocks
ITEM BENEFIT
Average
BENEFIT
Minimum
BENEFIT
Maximum
Mortality 1.01% 0.28% 1.74%
Liveweight g 40 10 70
FCR 0.062 0.046 0.078
EPEF 17.6 11.0 24.2
Margin/bird p
Margin/bird US cents
4.32
7.34
3.14
5.34
5.50
9.34
Margin/house £
Margin/house US $
£1,463
$2,485
£1,053
$1,789
£1,873
$3,181
David Filmer MA (Cantab), Dip Ag (Cantab), BSc (Agric) (London), NDA. MD FLOCKMAN
company. 48 Brent Street, Brent Knoll, Somerset, TA9 4DT, UK. e-mail address david@flockman.com
Tel +44 1278 760 760: Mobile +44 7802 200 760: Fax +44 1278 760761
Skype Address david.filmer5
New Award winning website www.flockman.com
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