Hello all, I'm considering farm management as a career and wondered if anyone on here has any advice. I graduated in June with a 2.1 degree in Business Management and have worked on farms during harvests and the drilling period but only ever as a seasonal worker. So far research has shown that companies such as Velcourt, Sentry farms and Co-Op offer managment programs. Does anyone have any experience with any of these? I think the alternative is to do a course at somewhere like Cirencester. They offer a Graduate Diploma in Agriculture. Any info appreciated! Thanks.

Drop them an email/call - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I would prefer not to work for a large farm management company, personally, although I'm sure they have plenty to offer. I worked for a farm managed by a large company for a couple of season's, they had good kit and plenty of hours although the wages weren't that good (that was just as a GFW though).

Hi Farmfan. Firstly it's a good career choice. It's a v competitive area, though, so be prepared for the fact that a lot of people will be chasing not that many jobs.

Those companies you mention offer good careers and are great to get on your CV. What employers will look for, I'd suggest (in no particular order), are: practical experience, common sense, academic qualifications and a positive hard-working attitude.

As Matty S says - try contacting people. You've got nothing to lose. And even if they say No, send them a nice response. You never know - they might have another job going in a few months' time!

 

Hey farmfan, I do the Graduate Diploma in Agriculture at Cirencester-the only place I found that does a one year, intensive course at management level. I would highly recommend the course-you can pick and choose whichever modules you like depending on how your farming interests lie. The College takes a bit of getting used to-especially if you are used to the atmosphere of a 'normal' uni. Most folk doing ag seem fairly sound though. 

As for the farm management companies I am also looking at Sentry and Velcourt. Both seem good though from the blurb though I have been warned off Velcourt by a number of people-not easy bosses apparently! 

Hope this helps. PM me if you want any more info about the GDA.  

  

 Hi FarmFan,

I write about farm management issues for FW and I also sit on the Council of the Institute of Agricultural Management - the professional body representing farm managers in the UK.

It's a great job and to top people in the country do get rewarded. But it's a difficult profession to get established in - and you'll need to be able to demonstrate a great deal of practical farming experience to convince employers.

As well as excellent one-year programmes like the one offered at Cirencester, most employers will expect farm managers these days to be BASIS (crop protection) and FACTS (crop nutrition) qualified. Many will also want to see you hold all the necessary spraying certificated - PA1 - PA2, for example.

I have heard excellent things about Velcourt and Sentry and I know plenty of people who have developed excellent careers through these routes. Velcourt in particular invests heavily in training its people. When we go out judging in the Farmers Weekly Farm Manager of the Year category you can spot the people who are Sentry or Velcourt trained - their financial management and discipline is second to none.

Good luck

 

Thankyou for the replies. Very useful. Im interested in doing the BASIS and FACTS qualifications but read that a minimum amount of agricultural experience is needed before you can even do them. Is this right?