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February 2022

February has been jam-packed full of farm visits – from trials of our new products, weighing piglets to a VIDA review.

Trials, testing, and on farm visits

Afbeelding: Stephen 4

At the start of the month, I re-joined account manager Jim Gould and Technical Advisor Sam Bradley on a trial that is now in its third weighing, testing VIDA muesli. The trial has continued to get great results which is really positive. It will be running into next month, so I’ll keep updated with its progress!

During the visit, I had the opportunity to work with Sam whilst she ran checks on the temperature of the pens. This was the first time I’ve been a part of these checks which was really interesting to watch and learn how the right temperature can improve farm performance.

During our previous visit, we spotted an opportunity to move the pig feeders into the centre of the pen, the aim was to provide a warmer and more central location for the piglets to feed, to support intake. It was great to see this has now been implemented and I look forward to seeing the results this has at the next weighing.

Catching up with fellow placement student - Josie

Earlier this month I caught up with Josie the Harper Adams Student on the dairy and beef side of our business, we shared our placement experiences and discussed our placement projects. I’m utilising my placement to base my project on our VIDA product range and our focus on sustainability.

Joining a VIDA Review

Afbeelding: Stephen 7

I had my first experience of a VIDA review, joining technical advisor, Emma Slater, on farm. The review was for a customer I met at the National Pig Awards back in November, so it was great to catch up again. I found the problem-solving and troubleshooting aspect of the review fascinating - providing a tailored approach on farm.

It’s been great to have so much on-farm experience alongside our account managers and technical team, the area I’ve always wanted to focus on!

Outside of work…

I’ve been dedicating a lot of time to watch the Six Nations! I also headed back over to Harper Adams to catch up with friends, it was great to be back.