By Matt Donald, pig & poultry producer, north Yorkshire
Poultry farming and skiing may seem like activities at opposite ends of the spectrum, however at the start of February I returned from poultry on the piste conference, piste ending in ‘te’ not ‘ss’. I say that because we all enjoyed a couple of après ski drinks on an evening, and the funky chicken dance may have been brought out by some. Most importantly, it is a conference that not only brings skiing and farming together, but it is a week of education through a series of morning and evening lectures, networking and fun on the slopes.
What better way to attend a conference, as opposed to stuffy convention centres, this one is rather unique, combining the glorious world of skiing with all things poultry. Just imagine, a flock of poultry enthusiasts weaving their way down the mountains, most doing it stylishly, to then ride back up on a chairlift with blue skies above, discussing all things poultry industry.
The lectures covered many aspects, people management, manure use, equipment, Kelly Bronze turkeys, hygiene and biosecurity and tales (advice) from the retired to name a few. This led to discussions on the slopes all day, where we would try to get to the bottom of the type of manager we were, are we a cool blue or fiery red and what can we do about it?
Over tasty mountain lunches or the evenings dinner we would be discussing our opinions on what to do about reducing antibiotic use even further. It was so good to meet up with friends who I have met through this annual trip but also meet other people who attended for their first time, hopefully not their last!
As we left the mountains and thus concluded one of the best conferences yet, all participants came away with newfound knowledge to aid our businesses here in the UK, look out for next years details if this sounds of interest to you. Now it’s back to the sheds for me to go implement some of what I have brought home.