Published on Aug. 10, 2018
Investing in a new generation of growers
Across the world young growers are taking over family farms, joining co-ops or signing up with large integrated companies. Hendrix Genetics, through Hybrid Turkeys want to support them to ensure they have everything they need to succeed and enable them to take the industry to new heights.
Every new generation brings with it new potential and improvement. As an animal breeding company, this is the foundation of our business and something we know well. We believe in fostering new generations to reach their full potential. It is for this reason, through our turkeys business, we created the Hybrid Turkeys Young Growers Club .
The mission
The objective of the Young Growers Club is to invest in and connect the future generations of the global turkey industry. Each chapter of the club is adapted to meet the specific regional needs of the members. Currently the Young Growers Club has chapters in Poland, Canada, The United States of America and France. The role of Hybrid Turkeys is to facilitate meetings and provide members with access to experts in areas they are interested in. While each region may differ operationally (family farm versus part of an integrated company), they all share the fact that the average age of turkey growers is rising. Hybrid Turkeys believes the turkey industry has a bright future ahead of it and therefore is investing now to prepare the next generation to accomplish great things.
Regional spotlight
Poland
In 2014 the first Young Growers Club was established in Poland. It was well attended by a group that ranged in age from 20-35 and either owned their own farm or were children of farm owners. This meeting included both hands-on and in-class educational events as well as networking opportunities. This member-led format worked out really well and laid the foundation for how future chapters could operate.
North America
The launch of this chapter took place in Ohio, USA in 2016. What began as a US-focused chapter quickly expanded to a North American chapter in order to include interested growers from Canada as well. This chapter is unique, as the members come from a mix of family-run farms, contract farms and independent co-ops. The North American chapter has an active Facebook group to facilitate group discussions between meetings, and to give them easy access to Hybrid Turkeys technical experts.
France
The newest chapter of the Young Growers Club was founded in France earlier this year. It brought together young turkey technicians. This first meeting included a tour of STVO, a Hendrix Genetics turkey processing plant, as well as presentations from representatives of Hendrix Genetics Turkeys France. This chapter aims to meet three times a year and explore future topics such as genetics and animal selection and various technical workshops. The next meeting will be held at the SPACE show in Rennes, France.
Hendrix Genetics is committed to the sustainability and future of the animal protein industry. Investing in initiatives such as the Young Growers Club assures us that the future for our industry is bright. If you are interested in joining a chapter please follow the link below.
