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WeAreAmway: Meet the Pest Control Leader at our Organic Farm in Washington State – Copper the Falcon

Welcome to WeAreAmway – our ongoing interview series where we meet the people who help power our incredible 60+ year legacy of helping Americans live better, healthier lives and lowering barriers to business ownership. From trailblazing entrepreneurs to dedicated employees, WeAreAmway explores the diverse experiences of the hundreds of thousands of individuals that make up our community, the landmark milestones in our history and the tireless endeavors that lead us into the future.

We sat down with our lead falcon, Copper, who heads our natural pest control efforts at our organic Trout Lake Farm in Washington (where Nutrilite is grown).

Interviewer: Hi Copper, Thank you so much for joining us today. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?

Copper: *SCREEECHHH* Thank you for having me. My name is Copper, and I am a Red-Naped Shaheen Falcon. We are a subspecies of the peregrine falcon – the fastest member of the animal kingdom. If you thought it was a cheetah, you can thank their PR team for that, but I’m debunking that myth right now.

I’m the head of my division – Organic Pest Bird Management and Control – at Amway’s Nutrilite farm in Trout Lake, Washington. I started working here about 8 years ago as an apprentice on the team. And my job, as the name suggests, is all about protecting our crops from various types of pests in an organic, all-natural manner. 

Interviewer: So Copper, what is your favorite pest to eat?

Copper: So that’s a misconception. All of our tactics are cruelty-free and we actually don’t eat any of the pest birds. Our team uses ‘hunting maneuvers,’ which are just different approaches we use to scare off the birds that are trying to eat Amway’s organic crops. People think of us as ‘predators,’ and I guess that may be how you humans label us but we are actually a sweet group! I’m sure the pest birds I drive away are very nice and all but I just can’t let them eat our crops and deny Amway’s consumers the essential ingredients to Nutrilite. We also have a whole other department dedicated to pest bugs and microorganisms – but you’ll have to talk to Amway’s ladybugs and lacewings about that since that’s their area of expertise.

Interviewer: You mentioned ‘hunting maneuvers’. Which one is your favorite?

Copper: My favorite maneuver is the ‘dive’. When falcons find a target, we fold our wings and fall into a nosedive, or stoop, gaining speeds of over 200 miles per hour. We’re so fast, which is what makes this move such a great scare tactic. The pest birds don’t see us coming, and I’ll admit, it’s fun to see them jump and take off flying.

Interviewer: How do you work together with your teammates?

Copper: We’re a great team and operate like a well-oiled machine. There are five or six of us working on rotation to cover all 401 acres of the Trout Lake West Farm and each of us have a specialized task. This team includes the ‘bomber,’ who looms high over the crops as an impending threat, the ‘sweeper,’ who zips around the farm at ground-level frightening the pest birds, and the ‘ace,’ who rides inconspicuously inside one of the falconers’ pickups and then launches out the window to chase birds off the farm. I have to say, we work really well together.

Interviewer: How is working for Amway?

Copper: Truly wonderful! A lot of other health and wellbeing companies don’t understand falcons and how employing our services can be beneficial to so many aspects of farming and beyond. Rather than relying on pesticides, we provide a clean, non-toxic alternative to pest control. Conventional pesticides don’t just kill targets, they can sometimes make humans (and other animals like us!) sick. So we help prevent that.

A lot of folks don’t realize that Amway was a pioneer in product traceability and has really set the bar for consumer trust through sustainable, transparent manufacturing and farming – including on their 6,000 acres of certified-organic farmland. And beyond organic practices, Amway publicly traces the full life of our products from idea to formulation, to manufacturing to packaging, so it’s fun to be a part of that process. Plus, I have some friends who think my job is pretty cool with great perks. As an employee, I’m given all my meals for free – no meal-prep for me! And the falconers who train us are some of the best humans I know. They may be slow and sadly grounded, but they treat us very well and we’re a great team.

Interviewer: What is your favorite part of the job?

Copper: Well, besides scaring other birds, my favorite part is showing people what falcons can do! We’re more than just mascots and hunters, which is what falcons have been labeled or leveraged as historically. We can be trained to do all sorts of things, and organic pest control is one of them! Additionally, I know our Trout Lake neighbors are especially grateful for us because we’re not as loud as other types of pest bird deterrents, like the commonly used propane cannons. We also get to work for Nutrilite which is the only global vitamin and dietary supplement brand to grow, harvest and process plants on its own certified organic farms, which is pretty awesome.*

Interviewer: Well it’s getting late and I know it’s almost your turn to be the ace. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us today.

Copper: *KACK-KACK-KACK* Of course, see you later!

* Source: Euromonitor International Limited; www.euromonitor.com/amway-claims