November 2021

November has been a busy month! I’ve been working closely with our Commercial Nutritionist Andrew Marriage to carry out an analysis to compare wet chemistry results of raw materials against an alternative technology known as an NIR Scanner.

As part of my placement with ForFarmers I have the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of the business. Pre Avian Influenza restriction I was lucky enough to visit a large free-range egg production unit in the west of England. I gained first-hand knowledge of poultry production and had the opportunity to meet with one of our customers.

Alongside my time working with Andrew, I continue to work closely with the Young Animal Feed team where I’m currently supporting on-farm, in our trial work.

I also had the honour of attending the National Pig Awards, it was a great opportunity to meet with new people within the industry. Congratulations to all those who were recognised at this year’s awards!

What surprised you this month?

I’ve been reading a lot about the outputs from COP26, one article stood out to in particular; an article featured in Pig World discussing how a croissant, which is part of a plant-based diet, can be less carbon-neutral than a bacon roll! Who knew?

The industry is tackling such big challenges around sustainability, I’m proud that ForFarmers is taking a proactive approach through our ‘Going Circular’ sustainability strategy. At its core this is focussed on transforming low value materials into high quality feed.

Making the most of the Autumnal weather and spending most of my free time outdoors, I’ve been to the beach and explored some more of the Suffolk countryside. I also got the opportunity to meet with family who were visiting other relatives nearby.