RECAP: American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Conference
TAKE-AWAYS
“If you want your Farm to be successful, you only have 3 levers to pull - Quality, Price and Convenience.” Paul Grieves, Pasturebird.
Your Farm already produces high-quality products. And, assuming you don’t want to sacrifice Price (diminishing margins and brand trust), then improving convenience for your buyers must be a part of your strategy.
The 2020 American Pastured Poultry Producers Associations (APPPA) conference was an inspired gathering of Farmers looking to share best practices for their poultry business. The APPPA community is a tight knit group of Farmers who are committed to clean and sustainable practices to produce the highest quality birds. Often, APPPA Farmers employ regenerative practices and multi-varied species to improve soil health and recovery. To join the APPPA and gain access to more resources from their members, click here. You can also follow everything that APPPA produces on Facebook and YouTube.
Stepping into the conference center was stepping into a world completely focused on poultry. Throughout the conference, sessions held by speakers and panels dissected every part of the poultry production process, from buying chicks to operating chicken tractors, managing customers orders, reconciling inventory, shipping and selling end products. Participants freely shared their insights— what’s worked and what’s failed.
Read our blog here on topic: Need a Chicken Tractor? Let Your Customers Finance It!
Take-Aways
High-volume poultry farmers see better results selling their products by size (small, medium and large), versus by weight. Keep it simple and save time.
Bundling your poultry products is more consumable and approachable to consumers (e.g. a chicken bundle for a household of 4) than managing a multitude of a la carte selections. Reduce your packaging overhead.
Every part of your poultry can be packaged and sold (e.g. chicken feet, heads, necks - as a “soup brother starter” kit). It works.
Producers recognize they need to make it convenient for buyers to purchase their products. There was a lively conversation on “door-to-door” delivery and “shipping” options. Neither is a silver-bullet. Test and learn.
Before diving into a new venture (e.g. “door-to-door” delivery), use a simple email or Facebook survey to get customer feedback. It’s free, and you’ll probably learn something (and save a lot of time, headaches and money).
Read our blog here on topic: Spotlight: Door-to-Door Delivery? A Profitable Venture for this Farm
Conclusion:
The APPPA conference was a fantastic opportunity to meet with many leading poultry farmers, who freely shared best practices and insights with attendees. We were pleased to speak with poultry Farmers from all over the country, of all shapes and sizes.
APPPA Farmers are dedicated to the quality of their products and improving the health of their business. We appreciate their willingness to explore solutions like Barn2Door to help improve the convenience for buyers and fuel their growth. We’re grateful to APPPA for the opportunity to participate, listen and engage.
We encourage any poultry producers on the fence to attend APPPA 2021; you will not be disappointed. We’ll definitely be returning, as well!