Application of technology to milk production

from Nuffield Farming 2021 Annual Report

The Farmers Club & Saffery Champness

WYNNE JONES 1983 NUFFIELD SCHOLAR

I was awarded a Nuffield scholarship sponsored by the Trehane Trust in 1983. At the time I was Head of the Animal Production department at the Welsh Agricultural College in Aberystwyth. I chose to visit the USA as I wished to acquaint myself with the Land Grant Universities’ network where research, education and extension co- existed within the one organisation. I later added a few days to visit Canada as milk quotas had been introduced to Europe and I wished to witness their operation in another country.

Importantly I wished to avail myself of an opportunity away from the day job to think through my own career aspirations. I regarded this element as the proverbial “biblical forty days in the wilderness” and was on reflection an important, enduring strand to my tour. The 1983 group was the first to visit Brussels as part of the initial briefing - now called the Pre CSC. This was an excellent innovation by the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust (NFST). We bonded well and continue to challenge and support each other, hence the self-anointed appellation “Dream Team”. I realised that I needed to be better informed of context, be less operational and more strategic in my thinking and general approach to issues if I was to make a meaningful contribution to the industry. For this reason, I had included four days of intensive briefing by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington at the start of my tour.

I travelled extensively and did not meet up with any Nuffield scholars on tour, but, what is worthy of note is that the name ‘Trehane’ opened as many doors as ‘Nuffield’. ‘Who knows you’ and not ‘who you know’ was my obvious conclusion.

I saw and experienced many things, too numerous to mention here, including the way the American dairy industry had an organisation dedicated to political lobbying and responding immediately to any criticism in their press, also one that took me aback, was the number of derelict farms in upper New York State. No young people to buy out a retiring couple. Close the gate and leave!

A Nuffield scholarship is very much an individual opportunity for personal development, and I returned from my tour with a much more positive attitude and ambition to fulfil my personal role for whichever organisation employed me. Above all I felt that education on a lifetime basis was the way to achieve a common goal of success and prosperity for our industry. This does not belittle so many things that I saw and experienced but in the final analysis it is people not processes or policies that make things happen.

I completed and circulated the report and was pleased to receive many invitations to speak of my experiences. This could be regarded as the end of Part One as a ‘Nuffield Scholar’ and the commencement of Part Two as a ‘Nuffield graduate’.

NUFFIELD GRADUATE

The annual Nuffield conference and the Trehane Trusts annual dairy industry dinner was an excellent and immediate vehicle for me to

refresh and maintain the positive momentum to my ambition on return. This regular exposure to the industry leaders and opinion formers of the time was critical to my own industry understanding, development and career progression. The study and regional groups are also excellent value for the same purpose.

In 1988 I was appointed as Vice Principal with responsibility for education and research at Harper Adams. In 1996 I was promoted to Principal. This coincided with a period of growth and changes in UK higher education. Harper Adams was transforming from an agricultural college to a university and managing and leading this change was a challenge I relished and made full use of the many Nuffield experiences and contacts. Linking research, education and strong linkages to industry was and still is a central core of the culture and mission at Harper Adams.

I was founder secretary to the West Midland Nuffield group. Harper Adams was asked to host a programme of visits etc.to a number of the international groups of Nuffield scholars. I am bound to confess that this was my first real contact with the international dimension of Nuffield. I regret this delay, in hindsight, but have attempted to make good by regular attendance at the international Triennial Conference as well as much communication in between.

Meeting with so many successful and influential people within Nuffield, both home and abroad, and their willingness to share very confidential financial and family plans is a humbling experience but also an honour which I cherish.

I also took the opportunity of accompanying a number of these international groups to Brussels and became aware that the questioning and debate was different. Given this point, and my own late introduction to Nuffield International, I felt it important for UK scholars to meet their international counterparts as soon as possible in their tour. At the turn of the century, I was honoured to be elected Vice and then Chair of NFST. During this time, we revisited corporate governance etc. In addition, our International Chairs were also promulgating changes. This was in opportunity to develop what proved to be the excellent concept of the Contemporary Scholars’ Conference (CSC) as all newly appointed scholars come together at the outset of their Nuffield journey. As Chair of UK NFST at the time I felt that the support for every one of our scholars to undertake the Global Focus Programme was not apparent, preferring that it became an optional additional experience.

I do have a concern that some Scholars appear to take short hops to many different countries, and we need to guard against seeing everything and experiencing nothing. The international scholars take more time away from their business and as such they have to learn to delegate and develop time management skills. It does concern me that a number of individuals I approach to consider applying for Nuffield suggest a time constraint. Busy and ambitious individuals will make the time.

I have been fortunate in having the opportunity to contribute something back to Nuffield as Chair of NFST and Chair of the Trehane Trust. I have also had the pleasure of being President of Future Farmers of Wales. As a past chair of the Strategy Board of Farming Connect and particularly, via their very innovative Agri Academy, which is a rich vein of future scholars, I have been applying experiences gained from being a Nuffield Scholar. Being invited by the late Prof. John Alliston to co-direct the Institute of Agricultural Management leadership development programme was an honour and brought me into contact with a number of Scholars on their continuing professional development.

I have not mentioned many names, but there are so many of you associated with Nuffield and the Trehane Trust to whom I owe a generous and well-meant thank you.

Dairy Industry Awards

Anopportunitytodevelopyour knowledgeofthedairyindustry, generatenewideasandshare yourfindings.

The Trehane Trust offers annual awards,through participationintheNuffieldFarmingScholarship programme, to individuals who want tostudyand researchaparticularaspectofthe dairy industry.

Theremit isbroad. Applicants areinvitedtostudy areasfrommilkproductiontoprocessingandproduct development. Itcovers allrelated areas suchashealth andenvironmentalconcerns,consumertrendsand marketing, andpolicies affecting the dairy chain.

Morethan80Scholarshave benefited from Trehane scholarships. Theirstudies,which have been ofgreat benefittotheindividualandtotheindustry,have taken them acrossthe worldtoNorthandSouth America, Japan,NewZealand,Australia,Europe and Scandinavia.

Each TrehaneScholarisprovided withtraveland subsistencecostsfor eight weeks –undertaken in one blockorassmallerblocks.

Theclosing date forapplications is31 July each year.

Successfulcandidateswillnormallybeaged between24 and45andlivingintheUK.

MoreinformationontheTrehaneawardsis available from Diana Allen, TrustChair on 07971 119128 or diana@qnm.ltd.uk

Previousreports andapplication formscanbe downloaded from the Nuffield website www.nuffieldscholar.orgorbycontacting MikeVacher, Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, 01460234012 orby email:director@nuffieldscholar.org.