Sollio Agriculture team: Meet Avtar Singh

Avtar Singh is a quality assurance coordinator for Western Canada and the Maritimes. He works with procedures, certifications, and audits, but what drives him most is the purpose behind it all—putting food on our plates.

Question: What exactly does a quality assurance coordinator do?
Answer: I make sure all our procedures are followed to meet quality standards. I also make sure we score high on our Canadian Food Inspection Agency audits. I oversee our sites in Western Canada, and I have three QA technicians reporting to me in the Maritimes.

Question: What do you find most motivating about your work?
Answer: My work is directly tied to people’s health and animal welfare. Every procedure has an impact on the food that feeds our farm animals—and, eventually, us. I have a three-year-old daughter, and I want her to grow up eating quality food.

Question: Do you have a responsibility or achievement that you’re particularly proud of?
Answer: When I first joined Sollio Agriculture, some of our feed mills weren’t FeedAssure certified yet—and in our industry, that’s an important certification to have. My colleagues and I worked hard, and within a year, we had them all certified. The process involved implementing a lot of procedures and collaborating with several different departments, but we did it!

I worked with our veterinarian, Dr. Joel, to help our hog farmers get CPE/CQA certified, which was another major undertaking.

Question: Now for a few rapid-fire questions to get to know you better. What’s something about you that might surprise your colleagues? 
Answer: I play on a soccer team. And my wife and I love stargazing—we have a telescope in our backyard.

Question: If you could do another job for a day, what would it be? 
Answer: Politician, prime minister.

Question: What was the last book you read?
Answer: I don’t really read novels. The last thing I read was the documentation for FeedAssure Version 4.

Question: If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Answer: Speechless by Dan + Shay. It’s my wedding song!

Question: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received at work?
Answer: “Never underestimate yourself.” That advice came from my manager. When we’re faced with big challenges, it’s easy to lose confidence. But we have to trust in our abilities and keep pushing on.

Question: To conclude, do you have any advice for new employees starting out at Sollio Agriculture?
Answer: Be patient. It may be hard at first, but keep learning. When I first started working for Sollio Agriculture, it took me a while to fully understand the whole ecosystem. But I eventually found my place, and the months turned into years. Now, I can’t imagine working anywhere else!

We’re respected here, our work is valued, and we have the chance to prove ourselves.