EMPLOYMENT

September 1982 : Hertfordshire.

Stately Home.

Y.O.P. as gardener in 40 acres of grounds.

Jobs : Weeding, pruning, leaf raking, potting up, and

Decorating the house for Christmas.

March 1983: Farm, Hertfordshire.

Y.O.P. as assistant stockman for 40 grading up Charolais.

Jobs : Fencing, hay making, hedge cutting, feeding and

Bedding down, calf rearing and the checking of the herd

when Outside.

After 6 months I was taken on full time.

September 1984 : Oaklands Agricultural College, Hertfordshire.

Started City & Guilds in general agriculture.

Took charge of herd for 1 month, due to head stockman

leaving.

July 1985: Hertfordshire.

Stately Home.

Taken on as corn store manager / tractor driver, for 2000

acres of Arable land.

Jobs : The drying and storage of wheat, barley, oats, oilseed

Rape and evening primrose, for seed, feed, milling and

intervention.

The loading of grain lorries and unloading of seed and

fertiliser.

Secondary cultivation.Bale carting.

September 1985 : Oaklands Agricultural College, Hertfordshire.

Started City & Guilds in animal production.

July 1986: Hertfordshire.

Stately Home.

Corn store manager / tractor driver.

Jobs : same as July 1985.

September 1986 : Oaklands Agricultural College, Hertfordshire.

Started City & Guilds in crop production.

July 1987: Hertfordshire.

Stately Home.

Corn store manager / tractor driver.

During the time between harvests I worked when members

of the Farm staff were ill, and at other busy times of the

year. I also worked every other weekend, helping with the

bedding down and Feeding of the young-stock and dairy

herd.

December 1987: Hertfordshire.

Stately Home.

1st assistant herdsman, for 140 cows plus followers. On a

200 acre dairy unit. Full-time position with a tied cottage

on The Estate.

Jobs : To assist the head herdsman in all aspects of the

dairy, including milking, feeding, bedding down, calving

and the rearing of the young-stock.

Made redundant September 1989, due to whole arable and

Dairy Farm being put down to set-aside.

September 1989: Oaklands Agricultural College, Hertfordshire.

Started college full-time, studying for the National

certificate in agriculture and the National certificate in

dairying.

July 1990: Attended the Kenya 90 expedition with the Venture

Scouts, on service work to build a cottage hospital in the

Guitari village.

August 1990: Oaklands Agricultural College, Hertfordshire

Bridged from National certificate in agriculture to the

National Diploma in agriculture.

Middle year spent as general farm worker on the college

farm, during which time I supervised and taught the first

year Students pig husbandry.

Jobs : Fencing, slurry carting, potato harvesting, bedding

down and feeding of the dairy and beef herds.

May 1991: Farm, Essendon, Hertfordshire.

Relief herdsman / tractor driver.

Jobs : Harvest work on 2000 acres. Night and day

ploughing, Secondary cultivation, corn and bale carting,

drilling, combining, Hedge cutting and relief milking of the

65 cow dairy herd.

October 1991 :Farm, Birmingham.

Assistant herdsman for 220 cow dairy herd.

6 month contract.

Jobs : To assist the herdsman with the milking, bedding

down and feeding of the herd and to improve the efficiency

and productivity of the farm.

May 1992 : Farm, Essendon, Hertfordshire.

Relief herdsman / tractor driver.

Same jobs as May 1991.

June 1994 : Farm, Brentwood, Essex.

Assistant herdsman / tractor driver.

Jobs : To assist the herdsman with the pedigree Holstein

herd. Relief milking, mowing, silage carting, topping and

FYM Spreading.

September 1994: Farm, Essendon, Hertfordshire.

Herd-manager.

Responsible for the day to day management and long term

running of the dairy unit, of 60 cows and 70+ followers.

I was brought in to turn the declining herd around and to

Correct Several serious problems.

Improvements made :

Lowered the cell count from 801,000 to 275,000.

Increased yields from 4583lt to 5558lt, without

the use of large amounts of extra cake.

Improved the genetic value of the herd, within

the strict budget.

Improved cow hygiene and welfare.

Utilised the grassland more effectively, to

produce more milk from forage.

Reduced cow and calf mortality rate from an

average of 15 animals per year to 4 or less.

Made redundant because of the serious downturn in the

profitability of the dairy herd, due to the effects of B.S.E.

and the 32% drop in milk prices causing the equity value of

the herd to fall by 50%. David Craig

August 1998: Farm, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

Began as Assistant herdsman for 140 cows (averaging

8,500lt) Plus followers. Am now Head Herdsman .

Modern, computerised 20/20 big bore herringbone parlour.

Jobs : Milking (twice a day), bedding down and feeding of

the Milking herd and young-stock. Foot trimming. Some

tractor driving during the harvest.

September 2001: Farm, Leaden Roding, Essex

Relief cowman / tractor driver.

Dairy duties include - TMR feeding, mixing both dairy and

Dry Cow rations, scraping out, bedding down cubicles

(with sawdust) and straw yards. Calf feeding and bedding

down, also weaning and vacinations.

Extra duties include maintenance of seperator and reed bed,

dung carting, rolling and chain harrowing fields.

Made redundant due to low profitability of milk.

February 2007: Wytham, Oxford

Organic mixed farm

Stockman duties include feeding beef cattle, pigs &

sheep, Using a Keenan feed wagon. Looking after young-

stock. Organising grazing and field management whilst

cattle are out.

Day to day management of the Saler beef cattle.

Vaccinations

And general health care of stock.

March 2009: Farm, Longcot, Oxford

Day to day management of 200 cow herd, including AI,

paper

Work and foot trimming.

My wife feeds and cares for calves and young-stock.

March 2010: Farm, Yattendon, Berkshire

Herdsperson. 1 in a team of 6, milking 400+ cows. TMR

Feeding, AI, foot trimming, feeding calves, bedding down

cubicles. Maintenance and use of seperator.

March 2015: Estate, West Sussex

Assistant Herdsman

Organic Dairy 200 cow's

TMR feeding, AI, foot trimming, Bedding down cubicles and

straw yards

Being made Redundant due to re-structuring.

June 2020: Hartpury University & College, Gloucestershire

Herdsperson

200+ cow's, Autumn block calving.