I grew up on the family farm with my younger brother - we both spent plenty of time playing with tractors and watching dad out in the fields at home and on contracting jobs for neighbours. However it wasn't a straight career path into agriculture - after finishing Sixth Form college in Malvern I went on to read International Politics at Aberystwyth University and graduated in 2007....right into a recession! After a brief spell in retail and travelling abroad I decided to come back to the farm and get stuck in.
Having not done any formal training in agriculture I subsequently went on to gain a post graduate diploma in Sustainable Agriculture from Harper Adams University in 2011. Since then I have also gained by BASIS certificate in Crop Protection as well as a number of vocational qualifications required to perform practical on farm operations such as spraying etc.
Over the last 10 years our business has grown and we are now providing a range of arable farming services to customers including contract farming agreements as well as specific operations. The focus for the next decade will see us concentrate on more sustainable crop production by managing costs as well as mitigating our impact on the environment, especially our soil! This has been helped by the recent purchase of our first strip till drill which enables us to drill crops directly into the stubble without any pre cultivation, reducing erosion and improving soil structure and biology. Our aim is to move our farming system into a "regenerative" model where we build soil carbon and life rather than depleting it.
I look forward to sharing some of the successes and challenges of this new direction as we go forward into 2020s!