Tim Garber

I manage poultry with a natural animal husbandry. It is a skill gained over a lifetime, which I apply to make a difference in any company I work with. Food production begins early in the Live Production area and the quality of each bird begins in its day-old-parents. The ingredients that are purchased to rear any animal regardless whether they are pullets, broilers, or pigs make or break the animal’s digestive, immune, pulmonary, and other systems. I believe that we should attempt to acquire the best quality at the most economical means possible. Food manufacturing starts when purchase inputs go into live animals. We should be conducting food safety audits at this level to insure we are not bringing in pathogens, that when introduced into our live birds, multiply and contaminate the food supply. Food safety must be job one in all food companies from the beginning live animal through to educating the end user of a product. Quality programs should be used across an organization, not just the processing plant. I believe to produce a good live product you need quality audits to make certain you are achieving the goals you have set for yourself and your team. Growers own roughly 50% of the capital investment of the poultry industry when one adds the cost of the land, equipment, and buildings. Even though these individuals are several steps from the end product, they must be educated on food safety and how they can contribute. I believe that their investment should have a reasonable return and their company management must take this into consideration. Since they are individual contractors, they should be held to the terms of their contract just as any vendor. They must however be allowed to voice their grievances to each level of management to insure no personality conflicts exist.