AT times farmers are faced with forks in the road, difficult decisions to be made out of necessity, and the nature and difficulty of the decision still lingers for many.
But the innovation of LT’s Egg Farm owner Brian Ahmed has helped transform the family egg farm into a thriving business, and he is adamant that clear decisions have steered his business in the right direction. An active community member, Ahmed has been involved with the Victorian Farmers Federation since 1990, holding numerous positions in the group including board member, and is the current Egg Group president.
His ability to take the family egg farm in Werribee and revamp it to include the Wyndham Cache café and gourmet produce was why he was named the Farming Ahead Australian Diversification Farmer of the Year at the Kondinin Group-ABC Rural Australian Farmer of the Year Awards in Melbourne last September.Ahmed’s proficiency in the egg industry also saw him named as a finalist of the premier category Australian Farmer of the Year, while he was also a finalist of the awards’ egg category.
LT’s Egg Farm was established as a family business in 1970, and while it began with a mixture of 1500 free range and caged birds, it now houses 20,000 laying hens which lay roughly seven million eggs per year.
Forty years after the family egg farm was established, the business entered into the retail and hospitality industry under the banner of Wyndham Cache, developing products to complement the farm’s egg and poultry products.
He believes the new direction continues to benefit the ever-expanding business.
“Diversification has provided the business long-term security and a sustainable model,” Ahmed said.
“The Diversification Farmer of the Year Award reassured us that we were heading in the right direction as a business and it has also given our long term customers and new customers confidence in our products.”
Read full story here: http://www.farmingahead.com.au/articles/1/10908/2015-03-13/news/clear-decisions-pivotal-for-diversification-success