James Wilyman, Senior Ruminant Specialist, Organic and Grazing Team

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

I grew up on a farm in North Wales, before going to Harper Adams to study Agriculture. I started working at ForFarmers in January 2002 as a trainee, and then did a couple of different roles across Wales. Over twenty years later I’m still here, and I’m now working as a Senior Ruminant Specialist in the Organic and Grazing Team.

What does your role involve?

I’m in quite a small specialist team, and I mainly work with our organic and spring block calving customers. I spend a lot of my time helping farmers get more from their forage. Regardless of the type of system, I think that farmers' biggest asset is their land and so helping them make the most of it will ultimately contribute to getting more milk from forage.

What do you like most about your role?

I really like the satisfaction that comes with knowing that you have helped a customer improve what they are doing on farm. Once they are growing the best quality forage they can, you start seeing the results come through across the rest of the farm. It’s great to be able to tie up with colleagues and offer customers advice across other areas of the business from calf rearing to grass seed selection or fertiliser plans. Helping our customers strive for the best is certainly one of the most important ingredients of my work.

What do you like about working at ForFarmers?

ForFarmers is an interesting company to work for because they are so innovative. As a business they are always bringing new things to market which can help our customers achieve results. There are also a lot of people to call on within the business. There is a really broad range of expertise, with specialists in all kinds of areas. Again, this is something that really helps us support our customers well.

I also really value the support they give in terms of personal development and the opportunities to progress.