2008 in Review

Without a doubt everyone would agree that 2008 has been a profound year in terms of overall market and economic volatility. Today’s costs no longer apply to what they were only 12 months ago. We must persevere for now; it may be some time before we find ourselves back in a stable economic environment.

The Wild Bird Seed Category has not been immune; we have also felt trial and tribulation.  In late 2007 the U.S. governments to offset rising oil costs supported the building of ethanol plants to provide a cheaper/greener fuel alternative. Ethanol is a corn bi-product thus growers were committing more acreage to growing corn. The result of this decision meant that there was less acreage planted in other grain products in 2008. This resulted in the typical supply and demand situation causing the pricing to exceed all previous records. 2008 has also experienced rising and falling energy costs created by the world market causing additional monitory pressures on birdseed.

However not all is negative. Armstrong Milling is positive about our industry and its future, we have looked beyond the current market environment and continue to push forward on providing quality products, packaging and service. The following list shows Armstrong’s commitment to the future of wild bird feeding for 2008.

Ø The re-introduction of Royal Jubilee barrier bag packaging
Ø The re-introduction of Trail gas flushed Wild Bird seed
Ø AMCL is now HACCP Compliant
Ø Implemented new staff training programs
Ø Increased grain storage
Ø Upgraded computer software
Ø Added staff to increase customer support
Ø Improved logistics’ for more efficient service

The upcoming year we will likely see a slow improvement in the world economies. Canadians have faired well during past economic misfortunes and will undoubtedly continue to be positive about the future. As a company our mindset is to continue to be passionate about being the best in the world at blending and shipping wild birdseed. We will be the supplier of choice for wild bird seed customers looking to purchase a full range of products.
We look forward to working with all our customers, to create a positive 2009.

AMCL Management

Armstrong Milling Is Now HACCP Certified

HACCP Mission Statement

Senior Management and Staff of Armstrong Milling CO. LTD are committed to producing quality product that are safe for consumption. We will ensure this through continuous improvement and enforcement of all feed safety and security processes and controls.

We will accomplish this through teamwork, continuous improvement, training and awareness for all associates at Armstrong Milling Co. LTD.

HACCP Overview

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) is an internationally recognized program that is designed to prevent, reduce or eliminate potential biological, chemical and physical food safety hazards, including those caused by cross-contamination.  With the HACCP systems in place it can identify potential hazards programs and then implemented proper control measures of specific points in the manufacturing process. 

Seven fundamental HACCP Principles

1. Conduct a hazard analysis- Plants determine the food safety hazards and identify the preventive measures the plant can apply to control these hazards. 
2. Determine the critical control points- this identifies a step in the process at which control must be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce to an acceptable level a feed and safety hazard.
3. Establish critical limits- Provides a maximum or minimum values to which the biological, chemical, or physical hazard must be controlled at a CCP to prevent, eliminate, or reduce to an acceptable level the occurrence of a food safety level.
4. Establish monitoring procedures- these are planned sequence of observation or measurements to asses weather a CCP is under control and to produce an accurate record for future verification.
5. Establish corrective actions- this part of the HACCP program specifies what is done when a deviation occurs. 
6. Establish record keeping and documentation procedures. 
7. Establish verification procedures- Verification consists of those activities that determine the validity of the HACCP plan and show that the system is operating according to the plan.

The HACCP system was put in place because large manufacturing plants had to regulate their product due to the wide spread of their distribution.  However, due to the effectiveness of the HACCP program many small manufactures are starting to implement HACCP since the benefit can be seen across the board.  One of the major benefits that the HACCP program provides is that it is proactive because the procedures are developed to prevent reduce and eliminate the problem before it can become an issue. 

Benefits of HACCP

1. Provides a more systematic approach to ensuring feed safety than traditional inspection procedures
2. Places more responsibility for ensuring food safety on the feed manufacturer than traditional inspection programs
3. Is based on science, rather than simply past experience or subjective judgment
4. Focuses on preventing problems before they occur, rather than trying to detect failures through end-product testing.