Meadow Foods who have a site in Chester, announces the launch of their Young Farmers Initiative designed to give young people involved in Dairy agriculture key business skills and dairy industry knowledge. The programme will kick off in October 2018 and will invest in up to 20 participants for two years.
The programme has two parts: first, on-the-job training; and secondly, beyond this, course fee sponsorship.
The on-the-job training programme aims to give the next generation of dairy farmers a unique range of financial support and advice. The programme will last two years and will include three days of hands on training each year, covering subjects such as sustainability, accounting, milk price forecasting, cost management and purchasing. The programme will be delivered via a number of industry experts, Meadow Foods factory site visits, customer site visits and talks from the Meadow Foods management team. The company will cover all training and admin costs (travel, hotels) and speaker expenses.
Secondly, beyond this two year programme, Meadow Foods will also sponsor the particpants who want to attend an on-the-job agricultural or business course of their choosing. This is entirely voluntary – but the company will be very supportive of those who want to apply.
Meadow Foods is targeting young farmers aged between 20 and 35 to apply to the programme that has been specifically tailored to their needs, although there is no formal upper age limit.
Mark Chantler, Chief Executive of Meadow Foods, comments: “Supporting young farmers is critically important to maintain the future of the industry. By establishing this exciting new programme we aim to support the next generation of farmers and provide them with the hands on training and funding needed to gain a wider understanding of the industry and further their careers in farming.”
The participating young farmers will also be encouraged to help shape future courses to ensure that they remain relevant to the needs and education of the next generation of farmers. Those interested in applying are advised to contact the Meadow Foods farm liaison team or vist the company’s new website at www.meadowfoods.com where further details and the entry form can be found.
Meadow Foods is the UK’s largest independently owned dairy group and leading supplier of quality dairy ingredients to the food industry. The award winning company operates from BRC A and AA accredited sites in Chester, Peterborough and Holme-on-Spalding Moor where they manufacture value added dairy ingredients 7 days a week for some of the UK’s best known food manufacturers. Meadow Foods currently employs more than 300 people and handles in excess of 650 million litres of milk each year direct from over 650 farmer suppliers from across the UK.
