It is little known that in good times, as in bad ones, it is our domestic Canadian market that represents the major source of revenue for our farmers and the food industry. Much too often people use the expression “Canada is a trading nation”, to the point where we’ve come to believe that foreigners buy most of what is produced in this country. That may be true for some industries, but it does not accurately represent the agriculture and agri-food sectors.

The biggest market for Canada’s farmers and processors is Canada. The Canadian agriculture and agri-food market is a vibrant one that encourages growth in value-added processing. Canada’s farmers are the foundation of that growth.

In net terms, 70% of the value of all the food produced in Canada (counting both the farm level production and the food processing industry) is sold right here to our fellow Canadians. This calculation is based on data provided by the Food and Value Chain Bureau of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and accounts for the fact that some of the primary production is used as an input in food processing.

Only 30% of Canadian agriculture and agri-food products are actually exported. Of the Canadian production, 20% goes to our NAFTA partners (Mexico and United States) with whom we enjoy free trade relations and a preferential market access, and the remaining 10% is exported throughout the rest of the world.

It is safe to say that our Canadian consumers are supporting tens of thousands of jobs in farming and food processing on a continuous basis, dire times or not, and for that we are so grateful! Canada’s chicken farmers are proud to raise the quality chicken that Canadians trust.

Alberta – Scott Wiens

Perched in the corner of a hotel lobby, miles from home, Scott Wiens looks nothing like a stereotypical farmer. Cellular phone in hand, he proceeds to tell the story of the Wiens household and the role chicken farming plays in ensuring his family has a stable lifestyle with a solid return on their investment.

Scott is a busy man, with “busy” being an understatement, as Scott is also the Chair of the Alberta Chicken Producers. Running his farm, managing another and the usual family chaos that comes from having two children (10 and 7) makes time a valuable commodity.

Scott farms near Edmonton, Alberta with his wife Susanne, and takes a great deal of pride in the quality of the birds raised by Canadian chicken farmers.

“Quality is key when it comes to keeping our vibrant industry responsive to customer demands and ensuring that we continue to raise high quality chicken for Canadians,” he says. “We are in regular contact with processors to keep up to date with specifications and quality.”

Scott believes farmers must work together on initiatives that benefit everyone.

“We are working toward keeping our industry flexible, both to market demands and to farmers, with programs such as quota leasing. This is a work in progress but something we envision as being an effective tool for farm management.”

Twenty-five years after his first exposure to chickens, and fifteen since he took over the farm full time, Scott has kept the focus of his farm on chicken.

“In the past, we had layers and we sometimes raise a few head of cattle, but it’s been a while since we did that.”

While he claims to not mind 2 a.m. phone calls about the flocks, because as he puts it, “it gets the adrenaline going, you need to find a solution.” He rather likes the autonomy. Things don’t happen on a fixed schedule. “I also enjoy the responsibility and the fact that I have full ownership of both the good and the bad.”

If he was going to give something up, it would have to be “cleaning barns when it’s minus 40.” He wouldn’t miss that aspect of chicken farming at all, but the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences.

“I really enjoy chicken farming. It allows my family to have a stable lifestyle, we obtain a reasonable return on our investment and we produce a great product that Canadians love. It’s a good way to raise a family.”

Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) is pleased to be stepping into the realm of social media in a number of different ways, as you’ll learn over the course of the next little while. This blog is just one of many steps we’re taking to talk to consumers, to engage them in conversation and to build on the trust that we’ve created.

We’re often asked why on earth we would bother getting involved in social media. Some people are baffled about what we could possibly offer to the average social media user. For us, social media is a logical step in our mission to ensure that consumers know what they need to know about Canadian chicken. We want to ensure that consumers understand that our farmers are committed to providing them with quality chicken that they can trust. And with all the urban legends, common myths and general misunderstandings that exist out there about such issues as food safety and animal care, we felt that it was high time that we stepped up and took the lead. We know that consumers have concerns – and we’re committed to answering those concerns.

We conduct regular consumer studies and have learned that there are a lot questions that consumers have about the chicken they buy. We want to answer those questions. We want to make sure you have the facts. It’s our commitment to openness, to giving people the information they want and to building on the great Canadian success story that we’ve worked so hard to write.

Over the course of the next few months, we invite you to join our conversation about chicken and help us build Chicken Feeds into a resource that speaks to all Canadians. Here, you’ll learn more about how our industry works, about the nutritional value of Canadian chicken, about how you can use chicken in your healthy lifestyle and about the kinds of things that are interesting to us, and hopefully, to you. We encourage your feedback and believe that we have a lot to talk about.

So, let’s get the conversation started!