Wilbur-Ellis announces FFA commitment and match program

Wilbur-Ellis Company has a long and rich history with FFA. Many of the company's employees are former members of FFA and several have held leadership positions in the organization. The company continues to support this rewarding organization through local, state and national funding, and today, Wilbur-Ellis is announcing its 2013 commitment to FFA.
"An investment in FFA means an investment in our company and to the sustainable future of our food supply," said Jim Loar, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Wilbur-Ellis. "We have been continually impressed by the knowledge and passion that the youth of FFA bring to our company and the industry. These individuals are committed to agriculture, and likewise we are committed to help cultivate their careers through FFA."
 Wilbur-Ellis employees have long donated their own money to FFA. In an effort to broaden the contribution outreach within the company, Wilbur-Ellis plans to continue its corporate match program for individual employee contributions. Other corporate contributions to FFA include:

• Scholarships
• National Career Fair
• Proficiency judging event
• AgCareers.com Launch Partner
• Local chapter support
• Separate donation from Wilbur-Ellis Feed Division

Wilbur-Ellis also plans on hosting an FFA educational reception in the San Francisco Bay Area on April 11.
The National FFA Foundation is the fundraising arm of the National FFA Organization, which provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 557,318 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,498 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Pig & Poultry LIVE to focus on attracting new talent

Delegates to Pig & Poultry LIVE will hear ideas and solutions to address attracting new talent, voted as one of the top 5 most important factors facing the industry.
Speakers at the expanded event, organized by the Royal Agricultural Society of England at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire on May 15, 2013 will offer advice on how to retain, motivate and reward staff during an afternoon session entitled “Innovation in people, securing our future.”
David Yiend, AB Agri chief executive and one of the speakers, said “There are enjoyable and rewarding career options in the pig and poultry sectors and we need to demonstrate to young people that this is an exciting industry to work in.”
“Agriculture needs to recruit 60,000 new entrants over the next decade and we will only achieve that if we help ourselves by being positive about pig and poultry production.”
“This debate is vital to the sustainability and profitability of British food and farming, we can’t assume this issue will be resolved by someone else and if we want to secure talent for our own businesses and for others in the supply chain we need to decide; what can I do? What role can I play? And take actions to tackle this challenge head on.”
“We need pig and poultry producers, and supply chain companies to talk to pupils, careers advisers and parents about how rewarding careers in the sector can be,” he said.
Pig & Poultry LIVE will give pig producers the opportunity to discuss a range of issues relating to people and how some creative thinking can help drive their business and the industry forward to a competitive and profitable future. The event promises to provide practical and valuable solutions to the challenges we all face around people - whether that’s finding the right talent or motivating the people you already have.