Livestock producers across Canada and into the U.S. are poised to benefit from a new management agreement among three rising innovators of animal nutrition and production management support.

FarmHouse Consulting Inc., Groupe Cérès Inc. and Nutrition Partners Inc. have jointly announced that the three companies have entered into a new management agreement bringing efficiencies and synergies designed to maximize value and profits for customers, according to the announcement.

“We are very pleased to announce this management agreement between our three companies,” said FarmHouse co-founder J. Neil Dobson, along with Patrick Hague. “Our focus is supporting farmers by bringing the best resources to the table. Teaming up with Groupe Cérès and Nutrition Partners does this in a powerful way.”

Manitoba-based FarmHouse Consulting Inc. was officially launched in June 2020 by Dobson and Hague to offer a fresh approach to bringing the world’s best knowledge, technologies and resources directly to farm — initially with a strong focus on poultry and swine — via a progressive new model that supports simplified, integrated decision-making right at the farmhouse kitchen table, the announcement explained.

Shortly thereafter, FarmHouse joined forces with Groupe Cérès, headquartered in Lévis, Que., with a nutrition and production management support agreement between the two companies. Founded in 2004 by Janin Boucher and Dan Bussières, Groupe Cérès offers services across all aspects of swine production, including nutrition, management, research and genetics, and is the lead swine nutrition partner of HyLife Foods, one of the world’s top integrated pork production companies.

Now, beginning Aug. 5, Nutrition Partners has joined the grouping under the new three-company management agreement. Nutrition Partners, headquartered in Airdrie, Alb., with additional offices in Manitoba and Quebec, specializes in collaborative approaches that support the success of livestock operations through custom programs and services tailored to individual needs across swine, poultry and dairy, the announcement noted.

Resource sharing

Under the new management agreement, Nutrition Partners will provide FarmHouse with manufacturing and operations support in Canada and the U.S., including sharing its office and warehouse facilities in Brandon, Man., with FarmHouse. Groupe Cérès will continue to supply FarmHouse with nutrition and production management support. All three groups will have enhanced knowledge and resource sharing to add value for producers.

“As agriculture becomes more collaborative and connected to support front-line producers, we believe this type of management agreement is the way of the future,” Bussières said. “The complementary approaches, strengths and resources among all parties are the key ingredients, along with our shared focus on farmer success based on research and science. The agreement provides a strong foundation to a new era of progress for our customers.”

Nutrition Partners president Darryl Lewis added that his firm “always believed our business is about the best people. That’s the essential basis for bringing top-level expertise, service and support to our customers. ... We couldn’t be better positioned or more excited about the future.”

Hague said, “We have in place the nucleus of a winning team. Our three companies all now have a broader and stronger expertise and resources that will substantially expand our capacity and reach in serving the industry to help farmers overcome challenges and enter a new generation of opportunity. The future is bright, and we, together with our customers, are extremely energized and optimistic as we move forward.”