The Poultry Leadership Podcast
"Welcome to 'The Poultry Leadership Podcast,' where we dive deep into the world of poultry leadership to help you soar to new heights in your career. Join us as we sit down with some of the industry's most accomplished leaders, farm owners, and allied professionals. Gain valuable insights, strategies, and personal stories that reveal the secrets behind their success. Discover what makes these poultry visionaries the outstanding leaders they are. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, our show is your go-to resource for unlocking your full leadership potential. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey to becoming the poultry leader you aspire to be."
This podcast is brought to you by Prism Controls, the leader in Environmental Controls for the past 45 years! Check them out at http://www.prismcontrols.com
The Poultry Leadership Podcast
Pioneering No-Chick-Culling Agriculture: Silvin Faulstich on Ova- Sexing's Role in Transforming Poultry Farming
Discover the groundbreaking advancements in poultry farming as we welcome Silvin Faulstich, Business Development Manager at Respeggt Group, to discuss in ova sexing. (In the egg) This revolutionary technology is set to transform the industry by identifying the gender of hatching eggs before they hatch, thus addressing the pressing issue of male chick culling. Silvin’s journey from Germany to his current role provides valuable insights into the innovations and challenges of implementing such cutting-edge solutions.
Explore the essential steps toward transitioning to chick culling-free agriculture. Silvin emphasizes the importance of educating everyone along the supply chain, from farmers to consumers, to drive progress and add value. He also shares the complexities of introducing new labels in an already crowded market and the need for a gradual approach to scale up capacity. The episode highlights efforts in Europe, particularly Germany, and the potential for similar initiatives in the US, opening up a discussion on the future of cull free labeling in the industry.
Finally, join us as Silvin delves into the personal growth and learning journey that accompanies the adoption of new technologies. He candidly discusses the lessons learned from failures and the importance of continuous growth, both personally and professionally. By sharing knowledge and fostering a supportive farming community, we can create a ripple effect of positive change. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that promises to reshape modern farming practices and the future of the poultry industry.
Connect with Silvin Faulstich - LinkedIn
Hosted by Brandon Mulnix - Director of Commercial Accounts - Prism Controls
The Poultry Leadership Podcast is only possible because of its sponsor, Prism Controls
Find out more about them at www.prismcontrols.com
Welcome to the Poultry Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Brandon Mulnix, and before we kick off this episode, I want to take a moment and thank our sponsors. They make this podcast possible for you to grow as a leader, and allow me to introduce you to some of the best in the industry. What's so great about Prism Controls is their passion for bettering the industry and helping farmers be more productive. You are important to the poultry industry. You may question that from time to time, but you, being here listening, listening to a podcast, are helping yourself grow and you're helping yourself become a better version of yourself, and by doing all of that, you are providing better leadership. What that does for the industry is powerful. You're helping others, you're helping others on your team, you're helping your customers, and so all of that is so important because that helps make farmers more productive. So thank you, prism Controls, for your investment to our listeners. Now on to today's guest.
Brandon Mulnix:Before I introduce our guest, this episode is a follow-up to episode 14, where I interviewed Chloe Kleinheinz and we discussed Inovasexing. That's a topic that I didn't think was really going to get too many questions, but, man, there were a lot of questions raised and so I really wanted to take a deep dive into this topic and, because of the great listeners, I was able to get connected with Silvin Faulstitch of Respect Group, who is the business development manager, so I invited Sylvan on the show to understand this topic in greater detail. Sylvan is not from this side of the pond, so you might recognize a little accent in his voice, which is absolutely fun. Sylvan's a great guy. I've been able to connect with him at many events and so, man, the fact that we've been able to talk and get to know each other and then bring that energy to the show. It's incredible. Sylvan, welcome to the show.
Silvin:Well, thank you very much, Brandon, I'm very excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Yeah, very much, looking forward to doing that deep dive you just mentioned.
Brandon Mulnix:Now you know there was the accent coming through, so can you explain to the listeners where you're from, who you are?
Silvin:Sure, I hope I'm not going to make it too obvious that I'm from the other side of the pond. I'm trying my best. Well, yeah, I'm Sylvain. I grew up in a small town in the center of Germany, basically between Hanover and Frankfurt. I'm the youngest of five children and yeah, so that was kind of a regular story there.
Silvin:So after graduating high school, I was thinking what am I going to do now? And I decided to go abroad for one year. So I did a kind of civil service in Peru, south America, which was very intense phase of my life. I was working there in a school for children with disabilities and that was very shaping for me and I learned very much there. After that I started my academic career, studying business administration. I followed up that with a master's in agricultural and food economics, although my route there wasn't too straight, I have to confess. But I'm still there and well, today I'm living in Cologne For my studies. I moved to Bonn, which is another not so big city in Germany, the former capital, to be honest, it's in the West. I live here with my girlfriend and my dog and, yeah, and I'm working for Respect Group, working and trying to get the InnovoSaxing solution out into the world.
Brandon Mulnix:So, Silber, you're here because InnovaSexing is becoming one of those hot topics that you know, we've heard about and maybe not everybody's up to speed on what InnovaSexing is. Could you give us a rundown on what InnovaSexing is?
Silvin:Sure. So InnovaSexing is kind of a new thing. So we're looking here at, I don't know, maybe five, six years of development. So what is inobose sexing? It's basically a way to identify the gender of hatching eggs for layers, basically right now, in this state, to identify the gender of hatching eggs before they actually hatch. You all know, in poultry industry, especially in the laying industry, laying hands as soon as they hatch need to be sexed. That is being done manually right now, but in ovo sexing, as the term says, in ovo, so in the egg already we can identify, using certain or different methodologies we can identify the gender of hatching eggs. Methodologies we can identify the gender of hatching eggs and that enables us to sort these hatching eggs before the hatch day into males and females. And the reason why we are doing this is basically, as you all know, hatching eggs of laying hens or of poultry hatching eggs in general are usually fertile 50-50 male and female. So for every laying hen that hatches out there in our egg supply chains there is one male brother actually that also hatched once upon a time. But as these males of laying hen genetics are not suitable for, obviously, laying eggs but they also cannot be raised efficiently. They eat a lot, but they grow very slow. The industry has decided to get rid of them just the day after they hatch, so that is an issue that is out there. So, globally, we are looking at I don't know, something like seven to eight billion male chicks being culled just the day they hatch, billion male chicks being culled just the day they hatch, and that is very sad in terms of animal welfare, but it's also very inefficient, and an ovosexing is a way to address this and actually to solve this issue. So what we offer is one solution that is, a liquid-based solution to identify the gender of hatching eggs.
Silvin:We started in 2017 with taking basic research from University of Leipzig. We founded a joint venture with a big German retailer and the Dutch incubation technology company Hatchtech Group, and the aim of this joint venture was to bring this basic research from a university level into a first commercially viable product and to make it market ready. And we achieved that in 2019. And this is when we had our own respect in Ovo sexing technology market ready and introduced it to the market. So we started with this German retailer. They rolled it out in their supermarkets, so for the first time in 2019, there were eggs consumption eggs, shell eggs, table eggs, as we also call them, in the supermarket shelves that are free of chick culling and what we bring to the market.
Silvin:Our solution is currently the earliest solution that is out there. We can analyze hatching eggs as early as day 8 to day 9, 10, 11. Basically, we have accuracy in determining the gender of hatching eggs of above 99%. We're currently achieving 99.5%, and so that's pretty much it. There's many different approaches out there Of, only a few are market ready, so they all differ a little bit in terms of when they can be applied, in terms of throughput, in terms of accuracy. So what we offer, with respect, is really the earliest and most accurate solution that is currently available on the market.
Brandon Mulnix:Okay, silvan, if I understood you correctly, between this and what you brought to us about the basics, 7 to 8 billion male chicks in the layer markets are hatched in the current situation and within a day or two have to be culled, meaning taken out of the flock. So that way, only the hens make it to the farms. Exactly, so this is all back in the hatcheries before the birds ever make it to the farm, correct?
Silvin:Exactly, that's exactly what happens. Maybe I can put this a little bit into perspective. So eight or seven billion is an abstract and a huge number If we look at the US only having about 320 million laying hens there. So for these 220 million laying hens you have 320 million laying hen brothers. So that is a bit of a smaller number, but it's still incredibly huge.
Brandon Mulnix:That is when you put it in that perspective. When you put it in that perspective, it's very interesting and understandably why this is an issue the amount of labor that goes into just sorting chicks, as well as the animal welfare issues of having to then cull these chicks so they live a day or two and realize, hey, you're a boy, you're out of the industry because you eat too much and you grow too slow to actually be marketable in the industry as a broiler or, um, some other use. That's incredible. That's like 50 percent waste from a happy perspective. So when you're talking about what you're able to do and get those eggs from out, the birds never hatch, they never see the light of day. That's incredible. Because what happens to those eggs that are culled?
Silvin:That's a very good question and that's actually also a very important aspect of the work we are doing. So I mean moving the issue of killing or culling day-old chicks too early into the incubation process. Some might criticize well, you're still kind of taking the life of these eggs, but a very important thing here is to make it as early as possible and to make it before there is any brain negativity possible in the egg. So that is really an advantage of well. First, you mentioned it yourself, it's a waste. It's a huge amount of work involved in it. So when you apply an ovo-sexing to really make profit from all the advantages it delivers, it's very important also to make it as early as possible to really also benefit from this added animal welfare perspective of doing that before the brain activity in the egg gets started.
Brandon Mulnix:Actually, Is somebody marketing those eggs in a way that still utilizes them in some way?
Silvin:Fortunately, these eggs that we sort out after knowing their gender, they are not wasted Right now. The way we work in Europe, for example, is that these eggs are being well, they are being sorted out, but they are being collected by a company and they are being processed into a high-protein, high-quality protein source, and that protein can be used in various products, such as animal feed, aquaculture, for example. So it's a very high quality protein and there's many ways of using it and we really do not only get rid of wasting all these male chicks, but we also have a use for this sorted out male eggs.
Brandon Mulnix:Well, that's value to the market for sure. How are you able to get this product into the market?
Silvin:Yeah, that's also a very good question and that is another perspective of the issue that we addressed quite early when implementing a label for this free of chick culling eggs.
Silvin:So I understand it's a's a new technology, it's something else.
Silvin:It's um, a new thing for consumers, it's a new thing for producers, everyone but um, well, progress always at some point needs to get uncomfortable in order to make some development. So it is important to really, when using this technology, to really also educate everyone along the supply chain and, finally, also the consumers, because right now, consumers might not be very aware of the issue, but as soon as you ask consumers and you educate them on what is going on the 7 billion globally and there's alternatives, they start becoming or getting interested and there is actually a willingness to also reward this additional effort done by producers. So you are able, with using this technology and with communicating it, you are actually able to increase the value of the product. So, yes, it puts a little higher prices on products, but you're also able to recover these prices and actually earn a bit of an additional margin with it by communicating what you're doing and by educating consumers that there's better alternatives available and that they are available now by putting, for example, a label on the egg pack or doing some communication campaigns.
Brandon Mulnix:So there's already enough confusion around labeling on egg cartons. How are you going to overcome just that labeling issue? I mean, there's organic, there's free range, there's cage-free, and this is just in the US. How do you get through all that mess?
Silvin:Yeah, that's a good question and we've been confronted with that a lot. We saw the same or we got the same questions when we started in Germany and in Europe. Well, a very important thing when putting a new label into the market is really to practice what you preach. And we stayed on our label that is free of chick culling, so we really made sure when implementing it that we abide to that claim that we give and that actually represented an added value to retail, an added value to consumers. So there was actually a demand for it, but I also understand that it's a bit annoying having another label on the box.
Silvin:I think, I'm afraid, we need to go that way, because it's a very new thing and we need to educate our consumers. But there's a lot of certifying institutions already in the States also, so maybe there's a lot of certifying institutions already in the States also, so maybe there's different ways. I mean, every new market has its new challenges, new ways, so we also cannot just take what we started to do in Europe and Germany and ship it over to the US and do it all in the same way. We need to adjust to the market. So there's different ways to go. We could combine it with an existing label and by that reducing, for example, the load of new labels that are out there. So there's different ways to go, but I agree it is a challenge and we have to hang in there and kind of solve it the easiest possible way for everybody involved. We are completely aware of that.
Brandon Mulnix:Now I've heard that there's not enough capacity, there's not enough of these machines or this technology available to really make a difference, specifically in the US market. But in Europe you guys have gained some traction, and can you talk about that capacity issue?
Silvin:Well, I think this is an issue for every new technology that is out there, right, you always need someone who is willing to pioneer in that, but this someone never would put up technology in the side that would cover directly the entire market. So the critical thing here is to find pioneers, find people who are willing to do so and to get started. It is also maybe good to not change the entire eggshell for consumers right, to leave them a choice with their product they know, but adding a new one to it. So capacity sure is an issue, but even the way it started in Europe it started in Germany. It wasn't the entire eggshell that has been changed at a time. It was increased bit by bit. So when looking at capacities, obviously also there is a challenge in terms of size. So if you compare European hatcheries to US hatcheries, there is an essential difference in size. But we are also on the market now, right now, since four to five years, and we've been learning about how to adjust to these capacity requirements. So we are constantly improving and adjusting our equipment to just fit these different sizes, and that can be done by a modular approach, for example. We are currently developing an integrated, fully automated solution.
Silvin:But coming back to your question of capacities, well, especially looking at the US right now, we wouldn't be able to put up technology to cover the whole market, but there is certain ag products, certain ag categories that are very well suited to get started.
Silvin:And these capacities, these volumes, can be realized already with the equipment that we have at hand. Germany, for example, the market size is about 45 million laying hands and we are able to deliver just enough. Also, not the entire German market is completely free of check-hulling, as there are some regulatory exemptions or some categories don't want to do it Legally. Germany has to be fully free of chick culling, but it can be done either by using an oversexing technology or by raising males, which is, by the way, not a very efficient and economic way of getting rid of chick culling. So, in terms of capacity, it's a joint effort of all technologies that are currently out there. But getting started by educating, maybe with one product first, and then increasing it bit by bit, that can be done already and these capacities are available now and we are looking into getting started in the US with it as well.
Brandon Mulnix:Now I was doing some research for this interview and I've started to see companies in the US specifically to being call-free in certain areas of their product lines and I see the free-range folks. You know where they have lower numbers. What percentage of the US market from your awareness is saying they're going to be coal-free versus that are coal-free?
Silvin:Oh, that's a very good question. I'm not sure if I can put it into absolute numbers at this point. Fortunately, we see this development of first producers, especially coming from these high-value specialty categories, communicating and committing to laying their hands on the technology. But our goal, well, our mission of our company is really to make global ag supply chains free of chick culling. So it's a bit of a stretch. I cannot tell you a percentage, but what I can tell you is that the technology and that the solution is suitable to not stop at only I don't know, let's say, 10% of the market. We are currently developing our technology and we are aiming at really changing the entire market into free of chick culling, at really changing the entire market into free of tick culling, sylvan, it makes sense.
Brandon Mulnix:You have in Germany, where you have regulations that say there's no culling, you either have to raise the males, which takes cost. I mean that's food, that's housing, that's labor, that to create a product from that. Where moving those eggs off the chain earlier into a different product. I can see the value there. I can absolutely see the value. So when it comes to the farmer, the guy who asked to buy the pullet, the chick, what is he going to notice in cost difference? I mean you and I talked about this and, as we led up to this, that it really wasn't as big of a difference as I thought it was and actually there was a lot of return on investment value there Can you speak to? Why would I want to buy that coal-free from that coal-free hatchery?
Silvin:There's different perspectives to just that questions. To be honest, maybe. First of all, it really is a joint effort of the entire supply chain, of the entire ag supply chain, so at some point you need to have everyone on board wanting to do this, and I know that is a bit of a challenge because it is not always easy to convince everyone at the same time. But as development progresses there is always new challenges, new opportunities, and they always tend to be uncomfortable for someone at some point. So we cannot get around that. But we also and that is the other perspective had a bit of a learning when we started. So our goal from the beginning was we were completely aware that we are introducing a very abstract technology into an existing structure that basically works perfectly fine right now. So our goal was to make the barrier to adopt this technology as low as possible. So we started with many different business models in the beginning. At the beginning we were working with packing centers, basically invoicing per free of chick culling table egg to keep the risk as low as possible, so they really only had to pay for the eggs that they are able to actually sell in the supermarket. We then realized that farmers and packing centers and retailers were actually able to sell most of the eggs. So they themselves asked for switching the business model from a table egg unit to the laying hand, because by that, by their own management, by how they have their cycles going on, they could actually have an influence on how to regain their investment. So we had all kinds of different business models out there. But now we are at the point where we decided well, we really want to work with hatcheries, because we want to leave the rest of the supply chain just as it is. And right now, if you would ask me that question, basically a farmer, a producer would just buy the same chick he did buy before. There is really difference in terms of whether this chick has been in Oval Sext or not, but it brings me back to the joint effort of the entire supply chain. So since we are working now, we adjusted our business model to focus on hatcheries directly. So we have a contract with them and ultimately they define prices into their supply chains, and by that there's also an opportunity to make it as easy for everyone participating in the supply chain as possible and to not add too much cost of it. But the interesting thing also about it is everyone can profit a little bit. So hatcheries can put a small premium on their day-old chicks, rearing farmers can put a small premium on their rearing efforts. Laying farmers can sell their eggs at a slightly higher premium to the packer, and packer sells it to the retail and retail. Ultimately, when communicating and really making their effort publicly, they can recover this additional cost by putting a small price premium on shell eggs that are free of chick culling and putting it to the consumer, because the consumer, ultimately, is the one who should be driving this change and who should be asking for that progress, that development, to happen, and this is what we see.
Silvin:What happened in Germany, what happens in Europe, by the way, with and without legislation. So we started in Germany in 2019 and we didn't have legislation there. The US, at this point, is rather unlikely to be having legislation anytime soon, and this is also actually a good thing, leaving it up to the industry to adopt this technology. They know best how to implement new technology, and this is actually what we like to support to adopt this technology. They know best how to implement new technology, and this is actually what we like to support also at this point.
Brandon Mulnix:So the audience we covered the topic from genetics.
Brandon Mulnix:We've talked with layer farmers, but this is the first time that we've actually talked to somebody that's in the hatchery space, because it's so interesting to say, well, the genetic side really isn't going to change, there's nothing that's going to change there. So, and that's where a lot of the cost of the species and the birds and, as Sylvan said it farmer is still going to buy the same brand of chicks that he's getting before, but now they just have that I'm going to call it that little asterisk by their name the fact that they're no longer culling. But if you look at it, you have that hatchery that's in between and their job is to hatch eggs and then provide a pullet out into the market for the rearing farms. And so here's a technology that's going to make the market more sustainable, because you're not, you're actually reducing waste. You're reducing, you know, if it's male culling and they have to raise the birds, all of the feed and everything that goes into it.
Brandon Mulnix:Man, I've seen a lot of things that talk about sustainability and this one product that you guys are, you know, this technology that you're working on, really does something for the market, really does something for the sustainability story of farms and I can definitely understand why the farms that I see, who have amazing sustainability programs, are getting behind this technology and claiming to be coal-free by certain dates, because it really honestly, it benefits the whole supply chain and it has a great animal welfare story behind it. It's an incredible product, sylvan.
Silvin:You just mentioned the sustainability aspect of it, but it's also been really an efficiency aspect. I mean we were talking about the labor involved. So manual sexing when starting to work in the US market I realized there are some challenges actually to find skilled labor to do that, and that is going on actually globally. We see the same development happening in Europe. So having technology that can move this sexing work from post-hatch to pre-hatch is one thing, and especially with the accuracies we are able to achieve today above 99%, we are competing with this manual sexing work. So that is also really a good thing in terms of efficiency and it is also embedded in a kind of bigger development that is currently going on.
Silvin:I don't know if you heard about on-farm hatching, in-oval sexing, in-oval feeding. It looks like there is a tendency, at least on an academia level, on a research level, to move all this kind of chick handling from post-hatch to pre-hatch, which is a very it makes sense to do that if it works properly. So it is embedded in a general development that we are seeing going on right now, which is maybe having all of those different approaches working together. Might take a couple of years still, but we see this general development happening, and it is not only really looking at one topic at this point in oversexing, but it is really looking into how can we improve ag supply chains from today into the future. And there will be some uncomfortable steps to take, pretty sure, but it also holds potential to really make the supply chains more efficient and fit for the future.
Brandon Mulnix:Well, you said it in there when you talked about on-farm hatching and just to explain that a little bit from my understanding and you can correct me if I'm wrong currently most chicks are hatched in a well-established hatchery. It's designed for the life of the bird from like one to eight days after hatch Very, very young birds. And then that bird is moved, put in a truck and moved to the farm where it's supposed to grow, and in that period of time there's a risk to those birds that they may not survive that trip onto the farm where they're going to be reared. And so I can see the efficiencies there, much healthier for the bird. But let's talk about if 50% of the eggs on farm hatching were males.
Brandon Mulnix:Now the farmer has to cull those birds versus the hatchery has to cull those birds. Where your technology steps in, it says hey, I got a flat of 36 eggs, all 36 of them. Percentage-wise, maybe one out of three or four flats is a male. Now I only have to worry about a few of them. Man, that really does bring it. Because now you have a bird that's raised, hatched on the farm, got those eight days in the environment where probably they're going to grow up for a while, for at least the first 16 weeks, and there's such a reduction in loss of just the transport time that really ties in that story really well of efficiency, sustainability and also better life for the birds Exactly.
Silvin:And well, now, I'm not an expert on farm hatching and luckily there's also different companies having technologies out there that really address that issue of transport losses and everything, early feeding and that kind of stuff. But, as I said before, it is embedded in a bigger development picture, let's say, and it is a prerequisite to do that. That is one thing, but the good thing is also, we do not have to look too far into the future. We can actually start using it right now and also increasing efficiency in a hatchery processes by using it right now.
Brandon Mulnix:I feel pretty comfortable that our audience has an understanding and the value of this topic and I'm welcoming them to reach out to you, Silvan, for more information about this technology. Let's dive into what's the hardest part of your job.
Silvin:Basically what we just discussed. So you really need to explain. There's a lot of tech involved. I mean, I don't know if you've seen the technology. We're going to bring it to IPP next year. We had it already at some trade fairs. So it's really a lot of robotics going on, computing technology, keeping track of every act throughout the process. We all manage that. Right now we actually put together equipment, a machine that is as easy as plug and play, so you just put it into the hatchery.
Silvin:But as the topic is so new for some people you initially said it Sometimes we need to explain, first of all, why an oversexing, what's the reason for it, why doing it. So that is really a big challenge to explain that someone and to then or come to the point that you actually show that is really easy to use. I have to attend a lot of conferences, a lot of trade fairs and I don't know many people yet. So you really have to connect to people and to tell your story. So that's also sometimes a bit challenging, being the new guy standing around in the room and not having anyone to talk to, so you have to hang in there, but it's also a bit funny, so I kind of like that strange kind of feeling.
Brandon Mulnix:It's always hard to be the new guy in the room Absolutely, and one of the reasons this podcast is important is because it helps connect people that you may never have connected with. Maybe this is the connection that someone will say hey, I heard Silva on the podcast and now I'm comfortable going and talking to him just because it gave you a little face time there. So it is one of the biggest challenges in the industry is just getting to know people Walking in the room, not feeling like a fake first off, not feeling like you don't belong there, because this is the most welcoming industry I can ever imagine being part of. So if I can give you some advice as a newcomer to the industry I mean you've been around a little bit now and you're starting to get your own connections is make sure you make a point to introduce other new people to your network. And I say that because when you're in a room and you've got maybe that new allied folk or that new farmer and say, hey, who's someone in the industry that you want to meet and maybe they're part of your network, make that introduction for them. Help them out as a leader. That's one of the things that you can do to really help your team is to make that introduction as a leader in the industry.
Brandon Mulnix:It's like the allied folk from my perspective. They're a part of my greater team. They really are. So how can I help them in their development and introduce them to one person? So in this case, I'm introducing Sylvan to the entire industry because I believe that one he's a great guy just from our conversations that we've had but two, that the product can make a difference to the industry. Thank you for allowing me to introduce you to the industry there, sylvan. Thank you, Brandon, very kind. All right Now. You mentioned in your intro that you got your master's degree. That didn't come easy, for you did it it didn't, to be honest.
Silvin:So my career isn't exactly what you would call a straight line, so there's been some challenges along the way. What you would call a straight line. So there's been some challenges along the way, and that is partly due to my own character type, I would say, or probably 100%, maybe I can go as far as that. So after having done this civil service in Peru, I came back and I was a bit of a bit puzzled what to do next. But I always had the idea of becoming an engineer because I knew developing stuff, technology that really interested me, but rather on a on a hands-on do-it-myself level. So I started bachelor program to become an engineer, and maybe I have to add that I wasn't too much of a very good student back in high school, to be honest. So I was able to graduate there without putting too much effort into it and I thought when starting my bachelor career first that it could continue a bit like that and I really had to learn the hard way that it's absolutely not the case. So that was one situation in my life where I really felt or experienced failure. Everyone alongside me, all my study colleagues, were making progress, were understanding the subject, were passing their exams and I was kind of falling behind. So that was a tough period in my life and I didn't know how to handle it first, as I further and further fall back and couldn't keep up with everyone and that didn't feel good. But at some point I realized there is no point in comparing myself to others. I really have to find my own pace. I really have to find the way how I can understand and make sense of what I'm doing. And this is when I decided to start over again. I decided to leave the engineer and get into business. So I started another career business administration. Luckily that was a program that was combined and had a big share of practical work. So I did my bachelor degree there.
Silvin:But at the same time I was working at the German all-organic retailer so I could actually gain hands-on experience on the floor, in supermarkets, in strategic units. And I really like this combination of theory and theoretical and practical experience because that puts things together and you can make sense of what you theoretically learn into practice. And that is what always motivates me to. There's a lot of theory out there, there's a lot of words out there, but at the end of the day it really counts what is happening in front of you, around you, and this is where you can make a difference. Yeah, so, but the the journey wasn't completed then, actually, because I don't know who of you might might have experienced, uh, the same like I did.
Silvin:But after having graduated in business administration, I was like, okay, okay, I can do everything right now, but nothing at the same time, because it's so generic. But having worked for this food retail company really showed me that that is an industry that will always be there. We always need to feed the world, and that was very helpful. And because of that, or just after that, I actually decided to start my master's degree in agricultural and food economics. But the funny thing is that I at the same time, started working for an IT company.
Silvin:So vita here also isn't exactly straight. So it was a bit of a struggle for me also to complete this master's degree, as I was starting to work in this company and this company was about to grow and I was given a responsibility, I was given a team. So it took me a couple of years actually to finish that master. But also, having worked into IT made me realize it is also a very important sector, but I want to go back to the agricultural sector, and this is basically my entry point when I started, with Respect, back in 2019. And I was able to combine my experiences in IT, my experiences in retail and my learnings from the master's degree, and this is where I'm now.
Brandon Mulnix:So as you progressed, what's interesting is you didn't let failure keep you down. No, you came to understand your own learning style, what worked for you, and then you didn't let an industry define you, but you ended up saying, okay, the skills I've even learned in IT with having a team, it developed you into who you are, where you then now apply what you learned there into this technology and agriculture space. That's a pretty. You say the lines wasn't straight, but no one's career has a straight line.
Silvin:Absolutely true. Yes, and everybody's. Many people are trying to make that impression.
Brandon Mulnix:Well, I mean my own story and the listeners some may know this and some may not. I mean I started off out of high school wanting to be a photographer and a full-time firefighter and I did that. I mean I literally followed my dreams, where I owned a photography studio, was a full-time fireman paramedic, and that was okay. And then each of those journeys were parallel but they were so different until we got to a point where I had to give one of them up. So I gave up the photography side as a full-time job, which I was working two full-time jobs at that time, owning my own business. But even the paramedic stuff was like what the heck does that make you prepared for anything to do with the egg industry? Well, I finally left that industry, got into manufacturing, where I found process, you know, and all the process that I worked under as a paramedic and as a manager. I'm like, oh, I get what process is and I had to write SOPs and that means standard operating procedure. I had to write SOPs and that means standard operating procedure. I had to write these things. I had to develop things in the paramedic world.
Brandon Mulnix:That translated really well into my future career of being a project manager and then sales. Being able to talk to somebody in the back of an ambulance, being able to talk to them on their worst day and make them feel comfortable, prepared me for what I do today being able to, as a photographer, being able to talk to a bride on her most stressful day. But all of those learnings of how to talk through that day prepared you for something different. You failed, yes, you failed, but guess what? You didn't fail at anything. You learned from that failure. You learned what you didn't want to do, and that's what's really important.
Silvin:Yeah, I actually had to fail this first time at least, to realize that I cannot continue the way I'm doing stuff right now. So I really had I needed this moment in my life to develop. So that is what I can tell everyone, don't be afraid of. Well, it's hard to realize that and I wasn't used to that because in this way it never happened to me and I was like, oh, it's probably never going to happen to me. But then it happened and I was like, okay, this is how it feels, but use it, and there's always. And if you can transform this failure into realizing, well, I cannot keep up with this pace, but I can find another pace, and then I can transform it into making it my own way, that really is powerful.
Brandon Mulnix:Yeah, absolutely, sylvan. As you grew, you ended up with a master's degree. Dude, that is. That is applaudable. That is something that most people don't strive to do. Most people don't go to that higher level of education. Congratulations on getting that and now having your degree. Have you stopped learning? Have you stopped growing?
Silvin:No, I'm lastly, I can say no. And also it took me a bit longer getting that degree and I also don't want to stress too much on that degree. But one reason why it took me so long was that I was always focusing on what is going on around me. I told you, this company I was working first uh with uh was very growing. There was a lot of opportunities, there was a lot of responsibility and that was super interesting. I was super interesting and I could work there. I could actually support the development there. And there is always something besides an ideal way to go. There is also opportunities along the way and they sometimes require you to take a reroute or, yeah, take a deviation, let's say, and yes, it is also.
Silvin:What was hard for me in this academic career, to be honest, is that with all this theoretical work, sometimes you're really making progress on a on a micro scale, and actually working in a growing company shows you a different kind of change on a micro scale and actually working in a growing company shows you a different kind of of change on a day to day basis. So I kind of paused that that micro steps in favor of of doing something else. But and this is the way you learn. So there is different ways of learning. So you can do micro steps. You can be the theoretical guy. I'm a rather practical guy, so I like to be hands-on, and so this is also making, or graduating.
Silvin:Making this degree didn't bring me to the point where I was saying I'm done, I'm complete, I'm finished, I can do everything right now. No, it is just the starting point for a next chapter, and this is also why I took a bit more time to complete that, because there was a lot to learn along the way and I didn't want to miss out on that opportunity. But it gives you a certain security, also for the future. So I would absolutely recommend everyone having the opportunity doing this to complete it. It makes total sense. But you don't stop learning there. Fortunately, you do not. There is a lot to learn from there on and yeah, I'm doing that on a daily basis.
Brandon Mulnix:So some key takeaways, listeners, is one the journey's not straight. The journey is what the journey is to help you grow to who you're going to become. So if you're at a spot in your career or a spot in your journey that you don't like, you have the opportunity to change that. Second, as a leader, your job is to understand how to make your people grow. One of that is understanding their learning style. You may have someone on your team that man. I just wish they would learn this, but do you realize they may not have the drive to learn it themselves via YouTube or their drive to learn it themselves by going back to college. It's your role as a leader to understand what's going to help them grow. Is it practical, is it hands-on, is it books, is it YouTube? But to help them grow and to challenge them to grow, because what happens is there may be something that that failure that they have in their learning that actually labels them. So in Silvan's story, if he happened to say, man, I'm not good at college because I failed engineering class, he may never gone back because he put that label on himself.
Brandon Mulnix:What labels do your team have?
Brandon Mulnix:Or what ceilings have you put on your team that have discouraged them from learning, and so it's important that you find out their learning style and feed it Truly, grab a hold of what they do through meetings with them and learn and study your team, study yourself, so that way you can understand maybe what labels you put on yourself or your team's labels and then really help them grow in that. And third, never stop learning, never. I'm not going to stop learning until I'm in the grave, because I love getting up in the morning and I love recording these podcasts at seven o'clock in the morning with my German friend here, because I learned something you're missing out, and it can be from success and career. It can be politics, it can be religion, it could be people learn what they want to learn. What can you learn to actually bring value, you know, to yourself and to your team, to your family, which ultimately brings value back to your purpose in life? So, sylvan, what is one thing that you're doing right now to help yourself grow into a better leader?
Silvin:So, yeah, what I'm doing is I compare what people say and what people do and I try to verify it with the effect that it has in real life. So this is the way I learned. This is the way I learned when I was little, because I come from a very simple upbringing. But I always wanted to grow beyond that, so I had to kind of find role models around me.
Silvin:But there is a lot of talking and at some point many people talk and you realize after some time well, they apparently seem to be knowing their stuff, but for some reason their action and what they do has a negative impact on their surroundings. So that is why I always try to compare these two things and find kind of the truth in between. It's always in between. So this is really what I would advise everyone Stay aware, listen, listen carefully, but don't be afraid to to compare the two things you see and hear and and measure them against their actual outcome. And by that it kind of doesn't matter in in which area you're in or whether what, what tools you've been given, that that always works are you in or what tools you've been given.
Brandon Mulnix:That always works. Now, that's solid advice. That is so solid advice to one. Look for role models to watch. If there's somebody doing something that you want to do, watch and then evaluate that against the impact they're having on the world. Maybe they're doing it in a different way, Maybe they're not doing it the right way in your mind, which is okay, because you can learn what not to do from that role model. There's good and bad role models, Exactly you shouldn't copy.
Silvin:You should watch and learn and make it your own way.
Brandon Mulnix:Yeah, you said it great there. You're not trying to become them. You're literally just trying to learn from them and what they've done and their mistakes, and I think that's a challenge for anybody. For sure is, look at those folks in your life that have overcome. Look at those folks that you've met. Ask people questions. I mean, anybody can be a role model when we interview for this podcast. Not everybody has that story that you would say is a heroic story. I overcome this great crazy thing, but even in the trials that they go through, there's something that you can learn from. And how did they overcome it? What kind of person are they today? Many things like that you don't even get a chance to see because you don't ask the questions. Like that you don't even get a chance to see because you don't ask the questions. So get to know people, get to know their story and then learn from the trials and tribulations that they've overcome and, as a leader, ask those questions. Don't hesitate to ask the question of what is something that you've overcome.
Silvin:Exactly.
Brandon Mulnix:Yeah, and it will tell you so much about your team. It will tell you so much about your role models. It'll tell you so much about your team. It will tell you so much about your role models. It'll tell you so much about those in your life. It's just asking that question is what's one thing you've overcome this week, this month, in your life? Because you can always learn from that. Sylvan, thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for sharing about InnovaSexing, thank you for showing about Respeggt. It's a great company, great people over there with just a passion for utilizing technology to really make a significant difference in the industry, and that's hugely appreciated for what you guys are doing for farms and for farmers.
Silvin:Well, thank you for this opportunity. It's also very special for me and, yeah, you just said it, it is really about passion, and that's one thing I can also share. It's be passionate about what you do and then you kind of cannot fail. Yeah, I'm quite confident saying that we're working with a lot of passion on what we do currently. I'm working with a lot of passion. Thank you very much for this opportunity.
Brandon Mulnix:All right, listeners, if you want to get a hold of Sylvan, I'm going to have his LinkedIn profile and potentially his phone number and your contact information in the podcast notes here, so please take a look at those. He would love to connect and reach out to you to explain what he's doing for the industry. He's a great person. His company's doing powerful things. I'll put a link to their website as well so you can learn more about them. But, most importantly, listeners, please share this podcast with others.
Brandon Mulnix:I ask you that every week and I know that this podcast is growing I get to see the numbers, but what I really like to see is I like to see people grow, and I may not see that.
Brandon Mulnix:I may not see the growth that's happening from the seeds planted by this podcast, but I know that if you're willing to share this with your team, it just makes them have a valuable resource to connect with people like Sylvan. And, last but not least, I have to thank our sponsors again Prism Controls I don't like sounding like a commercial, but, man, I just couldn't do it without them. They love the industry. Their passion is applying technology to make farms more productive and farmers more successful, and this is one of their primary ways of doing that is just sharing great leaders with you, sharing those stories with you that we just don't get a lot of time to sit around at trade shows to do. And so Prism Controls believes in you. They want to see you grow. You can find out more information about at www. prismcontrols. com, and the team just would love to talk to you more. So please reach out to them and thank you, have a great week. Look forward to talk to you in future episodes.
