FARM REPORT ▶▶▶ Marketing welfare is critical
Making sure customers understand the difference between their higher welfare products is critical, according to Lauren Egan, vice president of Brand and Inno- vation at Egg Innovations. “Brand strategy and messaging are incredibly impor- tant in building trust in the mind of consumers not only to help educate them on the differences between free-range, cage-free, pasture-raised, organic and non-GMO,” she says. “But also about the difference between the certifications they see on our packaging and how we differ from other brands in the category.” “Consumers are definitely more concerned with animal welfare than ever be- fore which we are seeing with the growth of the specialty egg category, driven primarily by Free-Range and Pasture-Raised. Our strategy will evolve to invite the consumer not only to make more informed decisions on animal welfare, but also guide them towards a more holistic understanding of why and how chicken welfare and regenerative farming must work in harmony so that we can leave the planet in a better state than where we started.”
free-range and pasture-raised egg movement. “We see the cage-free market exceeding 60% of production and free- range exceeding 25%. The loser will continue to be commodity or caged eggs,” he says.
The company works with more than 50 family farms with 1.4 million hens cared for to high welfare standards.
Egg production The company works with more than 50 family farms with 1.4 million hens cared for to high welfare standards. Produc- ers are located across the Midwest in Indiana, Illinois, Wiscon- sin, Ohio, and Kentucky. John says the welfare standards on their farms are: “The highest in the nation”. Birds are stocked at 22ft2 (10m2
(2m2 ) per hen outdoors for free-range and 108ft2 ) for pasture-raised birds.
The farmers Egg Innovations says it enters into long-term agreements with its farmer suppliers. “Fostering a strong rural economy for generations of family farmers to come has been a part of our DNA since day one. We practice this commitment by part- nering with farmers to equitably shoulder the risk while rein- vesting back into their farm network,” says John. In common with many integrated poultry businesses, risk is shared and margins managed between the egg packer and the farmer supplier. “In order to build sustainable futures, we provide our farm partners with the industry’s longest con- tracts and pay above average market prices to ensure their families have a sustainable living wage.” Farmers provide the barns, utilities and labour for the opera- tion, while Egg Innovations supplies the point-of-lay pullets and “nutrient-rich organic non-GMO grain at a fair, fixed price that isn’t impacted by market fluctuations,” he explains. “Egg Innovations supports farmer partners with year-round access to resources such as veterinarians and nutritionists. The farm- ers benefit from transportation efficiencies and farming operations experts.”
16 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 2, 2021
“Brand strategy and messaging are incredibly important in building trust in the mind of consumers and to help educate them on the differences between free-range, cage-free, pasture-raised, organic and non-GMO,” says Lauren Egan.
“We practice regenerative farming techniques because they’re good for the soil, the air, the earth and, of course, our chickens,” John states. “Our fundamental thesis and research has been focused on the five chicken behaviours (perching, scratching, dustbathing, socialising, pasturing) and what chickens are hardwired to do. When chickens are allowed to do these things, as they are on our farms, they perform at a high level.” The farms are certified by a range of organisations centred around bird welfare, including the American Humane Associ- ation, Humane Farm Animal Care, United Egg Producers, Kosher, USDA Organic, and Non-GMO product verified.
PHOTOS: EGG INNOVATIONS
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