Huw Edwards, Ruminant Specialist

Department: Sales

Learning about agriculture from a young age

“I grew up on my family’s farm in Mid Wales and this is where my keen interest in agriculture and farming stemmed from. From a young age I’ve helped on the farm with the 30 suckler cows and 400 Mule and Welsh cross Cheviot Ewes. I feel lucky to have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience that has been passed down to me over the years. There’s nothing like farming and you certainly can’t learn it all from a book.”

University and the start of my career

“After college I wanted to learn more about the industry so I applied to a variety of universities across the country. I was fortunate to secure a place at Aberystwyth University studying agriculture.”

“After studying for two years, it was time for my year in industry otherwise known as a placement year; this is where my journey with ForFarmers began. I applied online, attended an interview and was delighted when I received the news of a 12 month placement offer with the Youngstock team.”

“I’ve always been interested in youngstock but during those 12 months my knowledge grew significantly as I was able to learn off leading Specialists, visit farms across the country and attend training sessions. That year provided me with such valuable experiences and I gained an insight into the industry that I was able to apply in my final year of studies. I honestly don’t think I would be where I am today without that placement year.”

“After finished my placement year, I joined ForFarmers in 2018 as a Trainee Account Manager. I spent the first few months rotating across different departments including manufacturing, operations and blends. I learnt all about their responsibilities, areas of expertise and built up rapport with key members of the team. During this time I also completed the ForFarmers Ruminant Academy course.”

Customer focused

“ForFarmers has Ruminant Specialists across the whole of UK but my neck of the woods for the last five years has been North Ceredigion, Mid Wales and North Shropshire. I have specialised in beef and sheep but also work with a wide range of dairy farmers across the region. If needed I can also call on the dedicated Youngstock, Forage, Organic and Robotic teams to help assist my customers further. From fertiliser queries to re-calibrating robotic milking systems, my colleagues are always on hand to help provide my customers with the best possible solutions.”

Out on the road

“I begin my day by taking the dogs out to feed and check the cattle and sheep on my family’s farm. I then head back inside and open my laptop with a cup of coffee to complete some admin which includes checking my emails, forward orders and pricing for the next few days.”

“I then check my diary to see which farms I plan to visit that week and organise any literature or quotes that I need to take with me. It’s then time to hop in the car to visit my customers. I normally start an appointment by walking the livestock or monitoring results, after this I can then provide personalised advice to the farmer such as suggestions to improve their system or feeding practices and the best product solutions. After multiple customer visits it’s time to head home and tend to the livestock for feeding up.”

“I enjoy taking my customers on a journey and improving not only the health and performance of their stock but also their feed efficiency and bottom line. Farming is definitely a way of life but if it doesn’t add up, farmers need to look for alternative solutions and that’s where my job comes in.”

The best part of my role

“After five years you’d think that the weeks would become routine but honestly every day throws a different challenge. I’m extremely fortunate to work within a region of great farming customers and making a difference to someone’s business gives me a real buzz.”

“I have enjoyed growing and developing my customer base, visiting different farms and setups and building on my knowledge. Every day is different and I love that aspect of my role.”

The total feed business & the current marketplace

“I really enjoy supporting and advising my customers on the best solutions and as a result I work closely with our Customer Services department to ensure orders are placed, manufactured and delivered to the customer when they require.”

“As with any industry there are peaks and troughs but the recent conflict between the Ukraine and Russia has impacted us all more than we could have imagined.”

“Upward market pressures on a wide range of our raw materials has been particularly challenging this year and has affected every farming business in a variety of ways. Coming up with solid solutions to overcome this to the best of my ability has been challenging, but by using on farm monitors, tools and our wide range of product offerings as a team we’ve been able to find personalised solutions to farmers across the country. As the situation develops we will continue to innovate, adapt our tactics in order to ensure our customers weather the storm safely and sustainably.”

“I am proud to be part of the ForFarmers team and I’m grateful for all of the opportunities that have been given to me over the years. I get to work with some incredible dairy, beef and sheep farmers, as well highly knowledgeable colleagues across the UK; there’s always more to learn and I look forward to the next chapter at ForFarmers.”