When did you start at Mole Valley Farmers?
I started in January 2022, so I’ve been here for three years!
Before Mole Valley Farmers I did a level 4 Agri Business Management Apprenticeship at Bicton College for two years, after this I got a job working on a farm for a further two years. I decided to apply for the Agri Graduate Scheme that started in September 2022. Whilst doing this I applied for a position in the Feed Customer Service team and started this before attending the Grad assessment day, which I found quite handy because I got to know the business a bit before. Since completing the Grad Scheme, just over a year ago, I’ve been a Business Development Manager.
What did you enjoy about the Grad Scheme?
I felt very supported from the beginning. The scheme was really structured, and I got to learn critical skills. As part of the scheme, you get to experience different areas of the business, and what is involved in that department. It’s given me contacts with colleagues that I probably wouldn’t have initially had if I wasn’t part of the programme. It has opened doors for me, I joined the scheme thinking I wanted to be a Nutritionist but realised this wasn’t the route I’d go down after having the opportunity to see different career paths.
What other Learning and Development training programmes have you been on?
I’ve done my AMTRA and Sales Training, I was also part of the first cohort of Developing Agri Professional Network (DAPN). I really enjoyed DAPN, getting together with colleagues from other parts of the business who were early in their careers as well, I gained knowledge and learnt a lot across the four workshops we did.
What do you enjoy about working at Mole Valley Farmers?
Meeting a lot of people. I get to work with colleagues, farmers and suppliers who know loads about the industry. I’ve built strong relationships with our farmers where we’ll work together on doing trials and testing with our suppliers, it’s exciting introducing new things to farms and their processes.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I visit between eight and ten farmers per day, unless I have product training, dual calling with my colleagues or specific farm meetings where I have more technical conversations to support the farmers. I also go to store every other day. At the end of each day, I make sure all my orders have been placed, all admin has been completed, and a plan is in place for the next day so I know where I’m going.
What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy being part of Young Farmers and shooting with my two spaniels, I work one of them every Saturday and then when we’re not doing this we love going to the beach. I’ve actually set myself a few challenges this year, I’m doing a 14 km paddleboard race along the River Dart between Dartmouth and Totnes and then I’ve signed up to the doubles HYROX challenge, so I’d better get back on the training for this!
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