At the age of 25 Alex has secured a long-term sustainable future in agriculture for himself and his family
Alex left school aged 16 and began working for an agricultural contractor. After travelling in New Zealand for six months he looked into how he could make his own way into the industry. Since a young age Alex has been involved with his father’s pig enterprise based in Suffolk, who also contract finishes pigs for BQP. In 2017, after discussions with BQP, Alex decided to go ahead with a 1,050-place pig building.
In early 2017 plans were drawn up and submitted in association with Planning Consultant Ian Pick for the building and a loan secured to finance the project. As Alex planned to continue with his full-time job for a local straw merchant as well as the pigs, the bank looked favourably on the proposed business plan.
“The monthly payment structure that BQP offers also meant that I could demonstrate a reliable cash flow forecast, helping to secure the loan. In addition to the standard payments, BQP also pays a new build incentive, which has helped me to pay off a significant amount of the loan already,” says Alex.
The first building was completed in December 2017, with the first pigs arriving on farm just before Christmas. On average Alex spends an hour before work each day looking after the pigs which enables him to continue with his full-time job.
The most recent batch of pigs achieved a feed conversion rate (FCR) of 2.22:1. This level of FCR attracts a high bonus payment and is testament to Alex’s good stockmanship and attention to detail. Following the success of two batches and approaching the end of the third, Alex received the good news that he had gained planning consent for a second 1,000 place building. His next step is to put in a planning application for a straw barn.
Alex’s achievements have already been recognised in the industry – he was a finalist in the 2018 NPA pig awards for the Young Pig Farmer of the Year.
