Procurement & Formulations Manager
Identifying the best balance of ingredients to provide the right diet for flock demands sounds like a full-time job in itself. But in addition to being Formulations Manager for Humphrey Feeds & Pullets, Kay Johnson is also responsible for the procurement of all those ingredients, which requires close relationships with shippers and buyers and an aptitude for strategic decision-making. Just how does she do it?
Balancing nutrition, energy and performance
Finding the right balance between levels of nutrition, energy and performance for each flock is key to Humphrey Feeds’ success as a specialist poultry feed supplier. Kay works to ensure that each diet is tailored to the needs of birds through every stage of their life, whilst optimising their health and performance.
Feed formulations can vary between seasons and depending on the availability of specific ingredients, so it’s not simply a matter of prescribing a fixed diet, says Kay.
“Good cereal grains provide energy, topped up with high quality vegetable oils. Protein comes mainly from soybeans and sunflowers, whilst we also provide the minerals and vitamins vital for poultry growth and development of poultry. We buy high quality materials from trusted suppliers, but when supplies are disrupted by world events, or we need to make changes to soy supplies for example, for environmental reasons, I have to ensure that each feed remains attractive to the birds so that they derive maximum benefit.”
Consistent palatability
Kay’s task as Formulations Manager is therefore to choose raw materials for palatability as well as the benefits they provide. For example, Humphrey Feeds use high grade sunflower expeller which provides really good fibre. Should this become unavailable, the look and taste of the feed would change unless Kay managed to adapt the formula successfully.
“Birds are highly susceptible to stress if changes to feed are not carefully managed,” she confirms. “They quickly begin to lose condition, and production will suffer.”
When every penny spent on feed must add value, it is clear that Kay’s strong focus on providing robust and effective feed formulations is critical to poultry farmers’ success.
The challenges of procurement
Sourcing the raw ingredients for poultry diets has become ever more complex. Humphrey Feeds has always built good relationships with suppliers of high-quality produce, but price fluctuations mean that buying decisions can still be complex.
For Kay, this means continuously monitoring markets for the raw materials in each diet: checking supply chains and buying at the right time. “Our weekly procurement meetings involve a large team,” she explains. “The buying strategy changes from week to week as we decide what to buy and from where.” Sometimes this will mean not buying anything until the market corrects, other days are spent continuously on the phone talking to merchants, shippers and other contacts.
Responsible supply
Feed producers like Humphrey Feeds have been working to source products like soya from sustainable sources and away from countries responsible for deforestation and working closely with supermarket supply chains to ensure Humphrey Feeds are supporting them in their long term goals.
Doing her best for poultry farmers
As a Procurement and Formulations expert, Kay is working hard to tackle supply and sourcing issues so that Humphrey Feeds can go on providing the range of formulations that will optimise poultry production for UK farmers. She meets regularly with Defra and the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) to raise awareness of what is happening in the industry, and knows that her experience and understanding are being put to good use.
If you would like to know more about our poultry diets and how they can optimise production, contact Humphrey Feeds & Pullets at enquiries@hfandp.co.uk or call us on 01962 764555.
