Free Range Producer of the Year becomes Association vice-chairman

James is very happy to be the new vice-chairman of BFREPA, a position that suits his sociable nature
James is very happy to be the new vice-chairman of BFREPA, a position that suits his sociable nature

James Baxter’s family farm is located near Stranraer on Scotland’s beautiful south west coast.

“Winning the BREFPA award is testament to all our hard work and one that we are very proud of.” James has also recently taken up the vice-chairmanship of BFREPA, an appointment he is delighted with.

Farming history

Glenhead of Aldouran Farm is located on the Rhins Peninsula, near where the ferry leaves for the 2 hour crossing to Northern Ireland. The family business was dairy until 1990, when following changes in milk quotas it was no longer a viable operation.

James left the farm for other employment, staying in the agricultural industry as a sales manager with Minsups before working for Bibbys and BOCM Pauls.

After turning 40 in 2005 James decided he wanted to return to the family farm and set up his own business. Whilst working in sales a variety of cottage industries had been tried, including keeping red deer. But he decided that free-range egg production would be a more viable proposition. “I wanted something which would not only provide a living for my family but be a business that I could pass on to my children in the future.

James and his wife Margaret have three sons, who all work on the farm, and a daughter who is still at school; but who likes to help out at weekends and in her spare time. His brother Stephen, an electrician also works for him and he employs an engineer, Colin, for what continues to be a construction as well as a farming operation.

DIY egg production

In 2010 they put up their first two sheds funded in part by a grant from the Scottish government, under their development scheme. Then in 2012 and 2014, houses number three and four were completed. All the houses are multi-tier, aviary systems, the first two are Vencomatic Bowlegg systems and the second two Big Dutchman Twin Natura.

“I believe that these set-ups are good for bird welfare, the three-dimensional nature allows the hens to spread out and move freely,” James expounded.

They have done all their own groundworks, plumbing, electrics and installation, for the units. “We aren’t afraid of adapting the systems either,” explained James.

“If we see undesirable behaviour in the hens, then we look at what we can do to modify it.” The most recent changes involved installing automatic gates.

All the hens have the benefit of biomass heating, which not only keeps them warm but also improves air quality. Each house has a manure drying system powered by a biomass plant. Hot water is piped into the sheds via a heat exchanger; this acts to draw in fresh air from outside. This air is warmed to 25 °C and driven through ducting onto the manure belts. By actively drying the manure 24 hours a day, ammonia levels are reduced. The cleanliness of the whole system and the litter is also improved, resulting in less second grade eggs. And by keeping the hens warm, particularly at night, feed requirements are reduced, without affecting their performance.

His eldest sons Andrew and Jonathan are responsible for the day-to-day management of the birds, along with the sorting and packing of eggs. David, his youngest son, spends most of his time in the family’s additional quarrying business; working his shifts with the hens as part of the rota.

Diversification

The Baxter’s have a quarry on their land, which produces road stone. This is sold to local farmers and builders for constructing drives and tracks.

“We are currently supplying stone to build a new road to the nearby lighthouse,” said James. “The quarry is a nice side-line, which keeps one of my sons busy but the hens are always number one!” When they have the time they also undertake some local construction and drainage work, further utilising the stone.

The stone also comes in useful for keeping the area around the houses clean. “We have laid nine metres of stone around each house and if I think it’s getting dirty I replace it,” explained James. “It’s just like shaking your door mat out regularly, it helps keep the house clean.” This area also provides a dry clean area for the birds to come out onto, if they aren’t ranging far because of poor weather. The rest of the range is gently sloping, which helps with drainage and they’ve planted more than five thousand trees. At the edge of the range is 25 acres of mature woodland, which acts as a haven for wildlife. “We see deer and red squirrels every day,” he said.

Additionally the manure drying system has the benefit of producing a desirable fertilizer. “It has an excellent consistency, similar to that of a ‘grow-bag’, which local farmers are keen to buy from us,” James stated.

Attention to detail

As a family business we are all at work the minute we wake up or step out of the door. James however, walks the shed before everyone else starts to make sure he knows what is going on. “It really is a team effort, everyone gets on and has their own roles but helps out in other areas when needed,” he insisted.

“My wife Margaret is in charge of all the administration and keeps a very close eye on production data,” explained James. “If the hens aren’t performing as expected, we’ll hear about it over dinner!” She is also responsible for all the quality assurance and audit documentation. As a Noble supplier there are regularly audited and always achieve over 95%. “We like to make sure that our farm, is clean, tidy and ship-shape at all times,” James stressed.

Nomination

Maurice Salmond, rearing and contract supply regional for Noble Foods explained why he nominated the Baxter’s for the BFREPA producer of the year award. “The farm is exceptionally well run, always tidy and their record keeping is second to none. The whole family is committed to the business and keep themselves up to date with all aspects of egg production. James invests heavily in the farm to make improvements, whilst carrying out much of the building and construction himself.” When James himself was asked why he thought they had won the award he said, “we don’t ever leave any stone unturned when it comes to looking after our hens”.

Performance secrets

Egg production, even if free-range, is intensive and the hens face a lot of challenges. “Ensuring the health of your bird’s is key to both egg quality and profitability,” James surmised. “At 52 weeks our current flock is running at only one percent graded seconds.” When asked what he thought was key to the performance of his birds, he set out the following three points. Firstly monitor their behaviour closely, secondly measure as many parameters as possible and then lastly act quickly to resolve changes you observe.

James is a big advocate of using probiotics to improve the health of his hens. Going to the lengths of designing their own feed dosing system, to ensure that the birds receive the correct levels. He uses a double dose for the first two weeks the birds are in, to ensure there are colonised with beneficial bacteria as quickly as possible. “I think that the financial returns of feeding probiotics makes it a no-brainer,” he enthused.

Renewable energy

Building poultry houses is not the only construction project the Baxter’s have undertaken. They are also investing heavily in renewable energy. Along with the Biomass plant, they have recently erected a 225KW wind turbine. “This project has been three years in the planning but we are very excited about the energy savings it will offer us,” said James. “With the systems we have in place, we are an energy hungry farm, the forced ventilation and manure drying systems use a significant amount of power.

In order to get the most out of the turbine they had load input equipment designed for them, so that the electricity can be diverted to where it is needed. It will not only supply power but also supplement the biomass heating to heat the hen house, farm buildings and houses. “We are also looking at the possibility of installing solar panels, to further supplement our energy production,” he stated.

His new post

James is very happy to be the new vice-chairman of BFREPA, a position that suits his sociable nature. “I enjoy the challenges of working with all the different people within the industry,” he explained. “And having not just been a producer I hope I can bring some different insights, as well as enthusiasm.” He described that it is a humbling experience to represent the members of BFREPA. “Before I started I didn’t realise the amount of work that goes on to support the industry,” he admitted. “There have been so many changes and new regulations, for the industry to cope with over the last five years.” He is pleased to see how BFREPA has also grown over that time and is pleased to be part of the team that is continually fighting the corner of free range producers.

An award winning business

“It was fantastic to win the BFREPA producer of the year award”, enthused James. “I knew we were in with a chance and we have tried hard to get the farm as good as it can be.” He stressed the importance of a complete team effort required, from his whole family as well as Stephen and Colin. “ It was a proud moment, walking up to collect the award with Margaret and my three sons,” he continued. “It takes pride of place on our mantle piece, where everyone can see it.”

James described what a pleasure it has been to be involved in the free range egg industry for the last four years. “Everyone is so friendly and helpful, offering us advice and support. And winning the award is the icing on the cake, for our success to be recognised by our peers.” The Baxter’s aren’t afraid to invest in new technologies and if they think an idea will help welfare or performance, then they get on with it straight away. “You can’t progress as a business, unless you try different ideas,” he stressed.

“I think it is our hard work as a team, along with attention to detail, which has been key,” James stated. He stressed the importance of excellent nutrition, a good environment and healthy pullets. This then has the effect of improving returns, with shell quality being particularly important. “Essentially it’s all about the health of our hens, we want them to lay an egg every day and they need to be at their best to do it,” he concluded.