Aviagen is pleased to announce the establishment of a new enterprise to supply commercial poults and eggs to the turkey industry. The new company will be called Valley of the Moon Commercial Poults, Inc. (Valley of the Moon CP) which is a continuation of the history that George Nicholas started in Sonoma, California, over 70 years ago. This new company will be a distinct business unit and will operate under the direction of David Kenyon as president.
According to Jihad Douglas, president of Aviagen Turkeys, Inc., “After years of discussions, debate, industry analysis and observations, and recent industry events, we believe that it is in our best interest and in the best interest of the turkey industry that we have the ability to directly supply the end users with our quality genetics. As you know the breeder/hatchery business is not a new venture for us, but actually our core business. We believe that Valley of the Moon CP will provide a platform that will add value to the customer due to the highly consolidated nature of the multiplication business.”
As president of Valley of the Moon CP, David Kenyon brings over 20 years of experience in the turkey industry. Jihad Douglas noted, “David is known for his hands-on experience working with primary breeders, integrations, and multipliers. His background, combined with his open and honest management style and knowledge of the industry, makes him uniquely qualified for this position.”
“The focus of Valley of the Moon Commercial Poults will be on providing the best quality poults and genetics to the industry by utilizing the best hatching technology and delivery trucks, by implementing the highest selection pressure and by having access to Aviagen Turkeys’ R&D program,” said Kenyon. “Our product is the leader in performance and the demand from the end user is high and Valley of the Moon CP will be able to meet this demand.”
Construction of a new single-stage hatchery with capacity to set up to 50 million eggs is currently underway in Southern Iowa, just off of Interstate 35. This central location will allow Valley of the Moon CP to provide poults to many regions of the U.S.A. Completion of the hatchery is expected in early November 2011 with poults available to customers in January 2012.
Also announced today is the appointment of Jason Williams as Hatchery Operations Manager. Jason’s responsibilities include planning and coordination of construction for the new hatchery, overall production and delivery of quality day-old poults and regular interaction with customers once the hatchery is operational in January 2012.
Jason brings over seventeen years of experience in turkey breeder and hatchery operations, with an extensive background in turkey incubation and hatchery management. He was most recently responsible for managing multiple hatcheries for a large breeder/hatchery company in the U.S.A. His expertise will add considerable value to this new business and to the delivery of quality poults to customers.
Kenyon concluded, “We are very excited about this new venture and the opportunity to supply and work more closely with all of our end customers, whether fully integrated or independent. Valley of the Moon Commercial Poults, Inc. will offer the industry an option for Aviagen products, add value to our customers, and continue to build on the relationships and deliver the genetics that George Nicholas started over 70 years ago. We appreciate your business with Aviagen Turkeys and are looking forward to your support and business in the future with Valley of the Moon CP.”
Source: Aviagen
