The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has appointed Nic Parsons as head of dairy development, responsible for the development and coordination of AHDB’s strategic dairy farm network.
Nic will join the body in June from Tesco where he has been the firm’s agricultural manager for dairy since 2014.
Before this, he spent 14 years with Arla Foods in a range of farmer and retailer-facing roles.
Susannah Bolton, AHDB knowledge exchange director, said: “Strategic dairy farms promote farmer-to-farmer learning and form a key part of what we do at AHDB.
“Nic’s appointment will be instrumental in driving them forward as we build upon the network of seven farms we have so far.
Using levy funds, alongside financial support from the Welsh Government and the Betty Lawes Foundation, we will be increasing the size of the network to 25 farms across Great Britain.
“Collaborating with these organisations means more farmers will have the opportunity to access the programme and the benefits it offers.
“We are delighted that Nic has agreed to join AHDB in this pivotal role. He is widely respected across the industry for the strategic way he has approached his dairy role in Tesco, while expanding the supply base and improving engagement levels with farmers.”
Strategic farms
Strategic dairy farms help farmers to improve business making decisions and boost technical performance, profit and long-term sustainability.
The farms represent either all-year-round or block calving systems. They showcase best-practice, host on-farm events and each farm will openly share their figures against AHDB Dairy’s key performance indicators.
Host farmers benefit from access to industry experts to help fine-tune their business.
On-farm events will bring like-minded farmers to their farm who can act as a sounding board for new ideas or challenge what they are currently doing.
Applications are now open for farmers wanting to join the network and will close on May 19, 2019. For more information on strategic farms, including how to apply, visit: dairy.ahdb.org.uk/strategic-dairy-farm-recruitment.
