From teaching scuba diving in some of the world’s sunniest locations to working in the less glamorous surroundings of recycling centres and lorries, nobody can say Stephanie Pedrick has taken the conventional route into the poultry industry.
And yet, as career dreams changed and evolved, she believes she has finally found her true calling following her recent promotion to south-west area manager at Hook2Sisters.
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As her six-year career in the poultry industry continues to flourish, the icing on the cake was Pedrick being presented with the Zoetis-NFU Poultry Trainee Award at the British Pig & Poultry Fair in recognition of her desire to learn and her enthusiasm for the job.
The award followed her whirlwind introduction to the industry, with humble beginnings as a hatchery operative at PD Hook (Hatcheries) in Kentisbeare, Devon, in 2018. After that, she went on to become a poultry welfare compliance manager at Hook2Sisters two years ago.
Reflecting on her journey, Pedrick, who isn’t from a farming background, describes joining Hook2Sisters as a steep learning curve.
“When I came over from the hatchery, I had it in my head that I would be fine, because the skills would be transferable,” she admits.
“And then it was a bit of a wake-up call when I came over to farming and realised that what I knew didn’t help me at all. So, I had to learn a lot on the spot, but I think what made it easier for me is that I’m genuinely interested, so I absorb the information. I find the whole process fascinating and exciting. And I still learn things every day.”
Thirst for knowledge
That sense of wide-eyed enthusiasm and willingness to learn endeared Pedrick to the judges of the Zoetis-NFU award, who made a point of highlighting how impressed they were by her attitude and thirst for knowledge, alongside a very useful approach to problem solving and a desire to continuously improve the welfare and performance of the birds.
The 35-year-old might have come into the poultry industry later and more raw than others, but she quickly completed her level two Poultec diploma as a poultry technician at the hatchery, following that up by passing level three since joining Hook2Sisters – both with distinction.
She is a sponge when it comes to poultry knowledge, and recounts attending post-mortems on the farm and peppering the vet with questions, as well as joining site tours when supermarket clients visited and soaking up as much information as she could.
Interestingly, Pedrick doesn’t claim this facet of her personality is baked in or extends to all areas of her life, but is instead specific to her obsession with poultry.
“I’ve never really been very academic and I’ve always been a bit more hands-on,” she says.
“I don’t normally get interested by reading and things like that, but I can read about poultry for hours and I just find it so interesting. I don’t think I’ve always been this kind of academic and passionate person, but I just got sucked in.”
Best-laid plans
Pedrick’s current position is a far cry from the career trajectory she was on a few years ago, which was centred around a much more outdoors lifestyle.
Studying sport recreation at college, she qualified to teach activities such as rock climbing, kayaking and scuba diving, as well as studying swimming pool engineering.
The plan was to travel abroad and teach those outdoor pursuits in the summer months, and then maintaining swimming pools in the winter, but that dream was scuppered when she discovered an unhelpful allergy to chlorine.
A career switch saw Pedrick move into the recycling sector, where she enjoyed what she describes as something of a treasure hunt working on the recycling lorries and at a recycling centre – “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”, she says cheerfully – before fate finally brought her into the poultry sector.
“I met my partner and we got married. We were living in Exeter, but decided to move to somewhere more rural,” she recounts.
“So we came to Kentisbeare and I was travelling 45 minutes to Crediton for work. I was looking for a job close by and a position came up at the hatchery, so I thought I’ll just try it. I got the job and within my first day I just fell in love.”
Pedrick says she “asked every question under the sun in that hatchery” and learned as much as she could, before her curiosity again got the upper hand – she wanted to follow the production process and experience the next step beyond hatching.
Different perspective
It’s fascinating to hear how Pedrick threw herself into her work, especially as she admits she was playing catch-up compared with others who grew up around farming. But does that actually have its advantages too?
Pedrick believes it does, as it means she brings a different perspective and a set of eyes that hasn’t been trained on the way things have been done for years.
By way of example, she came up with the suggestion to replace wood shavings in the litter with recycled paper – a vestige, no doubt, of her time in the recycling trade – in an initiative that has now been rolled out across the company’s farms.
“I’m willing to try new things, which people who’ve been in the game for years, and watched their mum and dad do it and think that’s how they need to do it too [may not be],” she points out.
Pedrick’s thirst for knowledge is a constant theme throughout the conversation, and it’s clear she’s relishing having found a career she can thoroughly throw herself into.
She is aware there is still much more to learn, but one senses she will not be satisfied until she reaches an expert level of understanding. For it is that, above all, which gets her out of bed in the morning.
“I walk into the shed and if there’s something wrong with the birds, I want to know what it is,” she says. “To me it’s like a giant puzzle – it could be the feed, it could be the environmental settings, it could be the colour of the overalls I’m wearing, for all I know!
“That’s probably the biggest challenge, but at the same time that’s what I love about it. I am always on my toes, and no two days are ever the same.”
Pedrick thinks about the future, and believes she could contribute to industry affairs. She says would eventually like to be a “big name” in the poultry sector, known for her broiler expertise, and to “be someone in this industry”.
She’s on the right track, having recently joined the Young Women in Poultry Production group. For her success in the Zoetis-NFU award, Pedrick also received a £1,000 training grant, which she intends to put towards nutrition training so she can better understand what the birds are being fed.
Career influences
Asked for the biggest influences on her career to date, without hesitation Pedrick names Hook2Sisters general manager Chris Chater and PD Hook (Hatcheries) group welfare officer Daniel Dring.
“Daniel is so knowledgeable on welfare and I always listen to what he says,” she explains. “And I work really closely with Chris. He’s the one who promoted me to area manager, and whatever I ask him, he always seems to know the answer. He is what I would call a true expert in the field.”
It’s fair to say the admiration is mutual, with Chater highlighting Pedrick’s “great professionalism and excellent communication skills” as well as a willingness to take on extra responsibilities and to go above and beyond.
“With a strong commitment to learning and development, she is continually enhancing her skills and knowledge,” Chater says.
“She is an innovative problem solver who always finds creative solutions to complex challenges, and the positive feedback from farm managers and contractors showcases her great customer service skills, and fosters strong relationships.”
Attracting new entrants
Given that she somewhat fell into the industry by chance, it’s interesting to get Pedrick’s take on how the poultry sector can attract new talent, and she’s clear that the industry needs to talk more about what it is doing, show that it is exciting and varied, and highlight that it includes more innovation and new technologies than the average person would be aware of.
With a hefty 128 farms to keep her eye on since her promotion, Pedrick says there’s not much opportunity to switch off from work, but when she does, the focus is on spending time with her family.
“I got a puppy recently, and she’s nine months old now, so we like taking her to the beach or for a walk,” she says. “I’m also a keen runner and belong to the Women’s Running Network. Then I spend time with my wife and parents. My mum is my biggest fan, and is proud of everything I achieve.”
With a seemingly bottomless thirst for knowledge and rapid career progression, one can be sure there will be plenty more to be proud of yet. And perhaps the Zoetis-NFU award won’t be her last, either.
“To be recognised this early on in my career, I was absolutely blown away by it,” she says. “It was incredible. Six years in the industry does seem a long time, but in the poultry industry it’s not very long at all.”
