Tessa Seymour shares her insight on the importance of matching skill sets and attracting the next generation of talent to our industry.
I firmly believe that, once you get involved in agriculture, at whatever level, you build an emotional bond with it, unlike any other sector.
Our previous placement student and now Account Manager for ABN pig team.
“Gaining a pig industry scholarship was a fantastic opportunity to get involved in a progressive and highly integrated sector. I chose the ABN placement as it complemented several aspects of my Agriculture and Farm Business Management degree. I was able to develop my understanding of on-farm practices as well as the ancillary side to the livestock industry.
“Having previously worked with pigs, I enjoyed working on customer farms, developing my stockmanship skills with plenty of on-the-job training. Working with the commercial and customer support teams and liaising with both customers and colleagues benefitted my communication skills along with improving my ability to strategize under pressure.
During my placement, I researched farm feeding techniques to support the launch of a new sow range. I also used data collected by our technical team in my dissertation which focussed on the economics of using in-feed organic acids in the context of changing zinc oxide legislation and antibiotic reduction.
Since graduating, I have returned to ABN as an account manager. One year in, I have taken on a range of responsibilities and accounts, from dealing with independent creep feed customers to one of our largest national accounts. I love the variety in my role and spend my time working from home as well as visiting customers on farm and going to our mill and office sites nationwide.”
Sharon is ABN’s national lead account manager for poultry and is particularly passionate about building partnerships between producers and the wider supply chain. Celebrating 30 years with the company this year, Sharon works alongside commercial support team leader Debbie Spooner and account manager Will Reckitt, supporting clients to deliver best practice and efficient feed performance.
“My role is all about daily customer service, talking to farmers and on occasion their nutritionists and technical teams, in order to fully understand their specific needs and circumstances”.
“My day generally starts early, checking e-mails and the latest raw material prices, sending quotes to the farmers on forward feed prices, planning farm visits to discuss their crop results to see how the birds have performed, looking at cash flows and dealing with any concerns customers may have flagged up.”
“Over my 30 years with the business, the birds have changed and so has their performance. Now more than ever, the importance of good relationships with nutritionists are crucial.”
“We are constantly working with our nutritional and technical teams, looking at new ingredients or what can be done differently on-farm to bring improved performance. Our trial work is essential for introducing new technologies and ways of thinking and have enabled us to offer significant improvements to our customers over the years”.
“We have some customers that have been with us for 30 years which is fantastic, but I am always keen to meet new customers so that they can benefit from the expertise we have across our teams”.
“Having good relationships with our customers means that they feel comfortable to share honest feedback with me. This in turn strengthens the partnership, allowing us to develop as a team and focus on improving efficiencies and bird performance.”