Mikael Hald grew up surrounded by chickens and production, but it was by no means a foregone conclusion that he would choose this path himself. 

Along the way, he tried his hand at a whole host of other things before settling on the poultry industry. Today, he is Area Sales Manager at LANDMECO, where he draws on experience from various corners of the industry. 

He is 38 years old and grew up on a farm where poultry production was part of everyday life. For decades, the family has worked with different forms of production, and developments on the farm have followed the industry’s changes. 

“My uncle started with broiler chickens in the late seventies, and my father took over in the mid-eighties. Later, they switched to rearing pullets for table eggs, and subsequently expanded into egg production as well.” 

A detour that set the course 

After business school, he took three gap years, during which he completed his military service with the Life Guard and gained experience both in Denmark and abroad. 

“I worked for three or four months on a farm in north-western Uganda. It was purely crop farming and a great experience, where I learnt to tackle all tasks, even under difficult conditions.  

On the family farm back in Denmark, he also worked with livestock, packing eggs and working in the fields, and in a way, it was something of an eye-opener for him. 

Subsequently, however, he began studying political science at Aalborg University, but it was not a success. 

“I spent a year at university, and it was exciting. Whilst many of my fellow students had a clear goal of working in politics or teaching, I realised that I simply missed farming.” 

He chose to train as an agricultural technologist, a course he completed in 2014. 

“Unfortunately, you couldn’t specialise in poultry back then, so I ended up specialising in plants. So you can’t exactly say I’ve followed the traditional path, but I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge along the way.” 

Experience from various stages of the value chain 

In the first few years after qualifying, he worked in plant breeding at Agri Nord (now Agilix). The focus there was on field management and fertiliser plans, but his interest in poultry was pulling him in a different direction. 

“At an organic egg producer, I held a presentation looking after hens and planting in hen houses. This led to me being contacted by my old boss from Lohmann, who asked if I’d be interested in a proper full-time job in poultry.” 

He accepted the offer, and in this way his career took a new direction; since then, he has worked within the poultry industry. 

He started at a large hatchery on Zealand, where he worked with the rearing of parent stock and the production of hatching eggs for laying hens. Here he gained insight into the early stages of production and the interplay between genetics and results in the barn. 

“We worked with parent stock and produced hatching eggs for chicks that would go on to lay table eggs.” 

The work also involved monitoring parent stock production in countries such as Sweden, and maintaining close contact with producers, which gave him international experience and a broad network. 

The job at Lohmann also involved contact with breeders and egg producers in Denmark, where the focus was on technical service, operations and optimising production. 

After a few years at the hatchery, he moved to Danish Agro, where his tasks included selling feed and advising customers, comprising both breeders and egg producers. 

“It was an exciting period where I had the opportunity to sell to and advise both organic and conventional farmers. Here I learnt a great deal about feed, raw materials, composition, coverage and optimisation,” he explains.   

A new perspective at LANDMECO 

With the move to LANDMECO, he has moved on to the part of production that deals with housing and equipment, which plays a crucial role in both animal welfare and production results. 

“I’ve worked with genetics, breeding and feed. Now I’ve moved over to the side that deals with housing and equipment.” 

As Area Sales Manager, his tasks include supporting dealers and strengthening collaboration in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway, Sweden and Finland. 

“My role is to equip the dealers as well as possible and support them when they’re out with customers. They know their markets, and I’m here to contribute my professional knowledge where it’s relevant. With my experience, I’m able to address customers’ needs and support our dealers in their dialogue.” 

The work takes place close to the market and involves a fair amount of travel. 

“We need to get out on the road and be visible, because that’s how we grow together with our customers and dealers.” 

Text: Journalist Mikael Sand, JVR Consult. Tlf.: 30561992. Mail: ms@jvrconsult.dk.