Changes in Cheshire... meet the new NW Livestock team

Tuesday 23 March 2010

LESLEY Innes has joined the Cheshire and Merseyside team as the new RDPE Agricultural Facilitator delivering monitor farm, farmer group and demonstration events in the region, and is looking forward to the exciting new challenge of the role.

Since completing a BSc and an MSc at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Lesley has followed a career in dairy and sheep farming and has a family background of beef farming.

Lesley is working closely with Lucy Shenton, the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Specialist for Agriculture as part of the Delivery Hub at Reaseheath. Lucy leads on delivery through the agricultural Development Academy aiming to add value to businesses through a range of practical workshops, demonstrations and individual support.

Lesley replaces Tim Goldsborough who sadly no longer works as a facilitator for the RDPE programme. However Tim will continue to deliver the SAC Animal Health and Welfare Plans through Reaseheath College. We would like to thank Tim for all his hard work on the project so far and wish Tim well in his new role.

For any enquiries on future RDPE Northwest Livestock Programme events and monitor farms in Cheshire and Merseyside, please contact Lesley on 01270 625 131 ext 308 or 07788 721 943, or at livestocknw@reaseheath.ac.uk

Monitor Farms

The Beef and Sheep monitor farm was launched in February where recent sheep and lamb losses made developing a farm animal health strategy the first priority.

Read farm facilitator David Hall's blog on the progress being made and plans for the next meeting >>

The Cheshire Dairy Monitor Farm was launched on March 24th at Clive Hall Farm. The event introduced the farm practices and looked at the nutrient, resource and health plan objectives. Dr Kay Carson also discussed benchmarking and on-farm efficiency.

Discussion Groups

The first meeting of a new discussion group focusing on business performance was held on Monday March 1st. Future meetings will focus on IT management systems, Health and Safety, and Employment Law

Other Support

Lucy and other collegues within the Hub team are available to support development of RDPE Livestock Programme performance grant applications throughout the North West.

The first workshop was held on March 16th, where the Cheshire farmers were assisted with completing their applications for the end of the month. If you believe your farmers would benefit from a similar support, please contact Lucy on lucys@reaseheath.ac.uk or telephone 01270 616 457 / 07525 124 275.