Mark Davies

As chair of the Turkey Farmers of Canada, Mark Davies has his work cut out for him. “It’s a challenging time, but a promising time, for turkey,” he says. “There’s a world of opportunity out there for the industry to grasp and that’s exciting.”

Mark’s father David started the family farm (Orchard Crest Farms) in 1975, producing about 65,000 kilograms annually. “At that time, it was pretty much at the beginning of the supply-managed system in Nova Scotia, which was established in 1973 – the same year the national turkey agency was formed,” Mark says. Growing up, he remembers helping with everything from brooding to cleanout, but when it came time to choose a post-secondary program, Mark’s interests veered away from agriculture. “I originally graduated from Acadia University in 1986 with a BA in sociology, and was planning a career in teaching, but instead I went to work in my father’s agri-equipment business,” he says. “I toured around a lot with my band when I was young, but I needed to start a career and I’d always had an interest in building the turkey industry. Farming was also always something I knew I’d eventually do, and I became involved on a full-time basis on the farm in 1990.” Davies joined his father as a full partner a couple of years later, and the farm currently produces 365,000 kilograms a year.

Mark has never looked back – and he’s since devoted a substantial amount of time to building his industry. “I joined the Nova Scotia Turkey board (Turkey Farmers of Nova Scotia) in 1995, and that same year, I started at what is now Turkey Farmers of Canada, serving as an alternate board member until 2000.” The year after, he became a director in 2001, and was shortly thereafter elected to the executive committee. In 2002, he was elected vice-chair, and has served as chair since 2007.

“I’m also currently in my third term on the ACA Co-operative board, serving vice-chair during one of those years,” Davies says.

“ACA is the only poultry processor remaining in N.S. after Maple Leaf Poultry exited the province about five years ago, and it’s been a pleasure to see it bounce back to healthy profits.” During Mark’s time at ACA, the struggling processor had to make some drastic changes in order to survive. “They decided to stop processing turkey, and that was the second time we as an industry have had to deal with this situation – it also happened in the summer of 1998,” he says. “In this latest situation, turkey farmers are leasing quota, and we’re currently trucking birds to Quebec for processing. I believe the fact that our system was able to provide us with tools so we could get through that difficult time shows that supply management is a business tool in and of itself.”

The eventual result has been that turkey and chicken producers in Nova Scotia have entered into a historic joint venture with Maple Lodge, as 50 per cent owners of a state-of-the-art poultry processing facility being designed and built in the Annapolis Valley. “The plant will be operational in June 2012, and will feature a dedicated turkey processing line,” says Davies. “This is the first time this type of partnership has taken place, and so it’s new ground that we’re breaking. He’s been heavily involved in the process, serving on the board of United Poultry Processors Incorporated (UPPI), which represents the producers’ 50 per cent holding in the venture. Davies also sits on the board of Eden Valley Poultry (the name of the new processing company) in an advisory capacity.

Many challenges
There are many current issues facing the turkey industry, but Davies says that one of the most serious is figuring out smart ways to grow the market after almost two years of a very “soft” market for further processed products such as deli meats. “We were hit with the perfect storm few years ago: the listeriosis outbreak, the recession and growing competition from other proteins such as pork,” he notes. “The turkey market has been relatively flat with annual consumption stalled at about 4.5 kilograms per person. We’ve been able to maintain our market share, but our goal is growth.”

Davies knows it’s going to be tough to get the consumer to think of turkey as an everyday choice, and not just as something to be served for holiday meals three times a year. “We are paying strong attention to the development of further processed products because they hold a lot of promise, while also maintaining a focus on traditional whole-bird sales,” he says.

Another challenge has been figuring out an allocation policy for further processed and whole birds. “At the Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC) board level, we are in discussions looking at the ways we can improve the policy to better serve all stakeholders,” Davies notes. “We want things to be set up in a proactive rather than reactive way, so that we can be nimble in adjusting to consumer demands.”

Another challenge in Davies’ view, is the ever-changing attitudes, habits and concerns of the consumer. “It ranges from on-farm practices to food safety to animal welfare,” he says. “None of these are new but they’ve evolved over the past few years and require us to adapt and address the issues through farm practice policies, consumer education, use of social media and more.”

The World Trade Organization is also always of concern. “It still looms as a threat over the entire supply-managed system,” Davies observes. “Our system is always under pressure because some oppose it based on ideological concerns or a lack of understanding of the facts.”

Even with all the work ahead, Davies is very positive. He thinks the TFC has always had a very cohesive board (one that includes producers and processors), and that this bodes well for making the progress that needs to be made. “Relationships between producers and processors have always been strong, especially through the last couple of years, which has served us well,” he says. Davies plans to continue to devote extra time to building his industry, when he’s not spending time farming or with musical pursuits. “Music is a passion of mine,” he says. “I am currently building a recording studio in my basement.”