FAVORITES:

Music: Pop, Rock, Jam and Classic Rock Food: Fava Beans, cheeks, and of course, quail! Drinks: Typically French Wine, but I just got back from the BVI and met/fell in love with the Dark and Stormy What do you wear the most when you work? T-shirt and pants Favorite things to do AFTER work: Dining around town and watching our children’s sporting events Mantra: “In thru the nose, out thru the mouth”

LIFESTYLE QUESTIONS:

What's your relationship status?

Married for 14 years

Do you have children? Do they work with you? Ages?

We have a 12 year old girl and a 10 year old boy. They want to work with us but a little too young still.

Where is the farthest you have traveled to?

We visited France and Australia to visit a fellow quail farm to swap tours.

CAREER QUESTIONS – AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

How did you get into growing / farming /ranching?

I was born into the quail farm but fell in love with it at an early age walking barns with my dad.

How many acres are on the farm?

350 acres

What was the hardest part getting started in this career?

Having the guts to try and getting the bank to loan the money.

What surprised you about this career choice?

There are so many risks that can crush you overnight

Tell us about a typical day for you. What time you start, what goes on typically, what time the day ends for you, etc.

My day starts at 6:30am by working thru 30 emails. When I get to the office, I talk to our managers about plans, challenges and solutions. I give tours and do my own site inspections of our different locations. During the day I receive about 100 emails. I reach out to customers, sign paychecks and AP checks. I negotiate contracts for suppliers and work on new product concepts. I get home around 6pm, work on emails until about 9pm, then crash and do it again the next day.

What makes you happy in a day working?

Giving more people work and helping others grow in their lives to make their families lives better.

What makes you frustrated?

Lack of commitment and enthusiasm.

What do you think a big misconception about growing?

How much is involved to get a product to a consumer. We give tours to our customers and they’re always amazed at what we do on so many levels to get them a consistent high quality product each week.

Any advice to other growers or “want-to-be” growers?

It’s worth every minute of it as long as you do it for passion and not profit.

Any lessons learned through working as a grower?

Mother Nature is in charge. You can plan and monitor as much as you’d like but we’re all at her mercy.

Anything to say to consumers, i.e. people who aren’t into farming or growing?

Everyone has to eat and farming is necessary for survival. Being thoughtful about where your food comes from and how it is handled during the process is just as important as how nutritious or delicious it is. Have a connection with your food - it’s worth it.

What concerns you the most about the future of your industry?

Imports worry me. Lower quality processing standards from other countries are diminishing the quality to consumers and increasing the lack of perception of value of products produced in the US.

Where do you think you'll be in five or 10 years?

Training my daughter to be one of the leaders of our team.

WEBSITE URL: manchesterfarms.com

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