Anthony (Fred) Power, Executive Ruminant Specialist

Tell us about your background? How long have you been with ForFarmers?

I grew up on a small dairy farm in Somerset where my parents milked cows and kept pigs on contract. I was lucky enough to spend three years studying at Brymore School in Somerset, which specialises in horticulture and agriculture. From there I went to Cannington College to study agriculture, while also working on my parent’s farm.

Once I finished studying I began working full-time on the family farm, before going self-employed and running my own dairy goat herd, where I milked around 250 goats for several years. While I really enjoyed this, I had a young family and ultimately I was looking for something with a bit more security so I started working in sales roles. Since joining ForFarmers in 2014 as an account manager my role has evolved and I am now an executive ruminant specialist.

What does your role involve?

My role has two main elements to it. I work with medium and large dairy units in Somerset and the surrounding areas, gaining an understanding of their operation and helping them find the best solutions to move their business forward. Every farm is different and so I spend a lot of my time with our dairy customers really getting to know their business, the challenges they face and what they are hoping to achieve.

However, I am also the goat specialist for the UK and this role takes me all around the south of the UK visiting dairy goat herds. While they may seem similar to cows, they actually need feeding very differently and so it's been an interesting addition to my role.

How did you build your role at ForFarmers?

While supporting our dairy customers is the biggest part of my role, I like a challenge and so when the goat specialist role became available, I decided to put myself forward for it. ForFarmers were really supportive of this and since then they have continued to offer me opportunities to grow this side of my role. It’s been great to be able to build my role around my interests, and it means I always look forward to going to work in the morning.

What do you like about working at ForFarmers?

I really enjoy working with so many like-minded people and there is a real sense of camaraderie. It’s great knowing that there is always help and support available from your colleagues if you need it.

There is also plenty of training available to help us to continually develop and evolve. Keeping up to date with the latest research and industry knowledge is key to ensuring that we are always offering our customers the best support we can.