Meet our new Farmer Focus writer: Gary Mitchell

We asked our new writers to answer a few quick-fire questions to give you a taster of what they’ll be talking about before they put pen to paper.

Name and location.

Gary Mitchell, Stranraer, Scotland.

What type of farm do you run?

I run a dairy farm, milking 800 cows. Heifers are reared by another farmer nearby. I own 195ha and rent 150ha. Some 80ha of land is zero-grazed, another 80ha is grown for wholecrop and the rest is mainly used for silage.

See also: Read Gary Mitchell’s first Livestock Farmer Focus column

Describe yourself in four words

Forward thinker (maybe too much), humorous, ambitious and inspirational (I like to inspire others).

What are your hobbies off the farm?

NFU Scotland – sad I know! And going to Old Trafford to see Manchester United play twice a year.

If you could change one thing about the agricultural industry, what would it be and why?

It should be compulsory that every young farmer gets the chance to make responsible decisions on their farm at the age of 25.

Tell us about the funniest moment you have had on the farm

I can remember sending an employee to a farm to pick up a rotavator, which I had agreed to hire through a machinery ring.

My man went to the neighbouring farm instead, picked up a rotavator there and proceeded to do the work required. The next day I got a phone call from the original farmer asking why I had not come to pick it up.

What gadget couldn’t you live without and why?

My iPhone for Twitter, Facebook and the camera. I take pictures of everything.

If you could farm in any other country where would it be and why?

I did quite fancy Canada when I was an arable farmer. But as a dairy farmer I probably now fancy the US. But I love Scotland. I just wish I was 50 miles nearer an airport.

What are your aspirations for the future?

To grow the business with good young employees from my local area and to see some of them eventually set up their own dairy herds.