Nickerson Direct, the Lincolnshire-based company which has been advising UK farmers for the last 60 years and supplying the seed they need to produce a wide range of agricultural crops, has further strengthened its team of on-farm advisers in the North West of England with the appointment of Ben Lowe as a Seed Specialist.
Reporting to Sean Lovegreen, Regional Sales Manager in the North of England, Ben will be advising farmers throughout Lancashire, Cheshire and North Shropshire on the full range of Nickerson Direct products, including Original cereal seeds, oilseeds and pulses, Circle Ley grass mixtures, LG maize, and Foundation potatoes, together with a number of complimentary products.
Born into a family with a long history in the farming industry, Ben has always loved the countryside and in 2003, whilst working on his uncle’s farm and with the Ravensmoor flock of pedigree Texels, won the ’Best Young Shepherd in the North West’ award. After gaining work experience on a dairy farm at Austerson near Nantwich, Ben went on to gain a Higher National Diploma in Agriculture at Reaseheath College in Nantwich. During his time at Reaseheath College Ben won the award for ’Best Student - Livestock Production’ and in 2007 he started his own flock.
Commenting on his appointment, Ben, who lives in the Cheshire village of Sound and before joining Nickerson Direct worked for Thomasson Farms at Poole in Cheshire, stated:
"I am delighted to have joined Nickerson Direct’s excellent team of Seed Specialists at what is a very exciting time for agriculture. Commodity prices are at more favourable levels than they have been for some time and there is no question that it pays farmers to utilise the best-quality inputs to optimise crop production and maximise their financial returns. This fact is fully appreciated by farmers who consistently achieve the best results and above- average financial returns.
"Nickerson Direct is well respected by farmers in this area and after years of severe cutbacks in the agricultural supply generally they appreciate the fact that the company has a team of Seed Specialists who are able to advise them on their own farms. We are able to help farmers to select the best varieties for particular situations, supply top-quality products which deliver consistent, high performance, together with agronomy advice and guidance to help them to maximise crop and financial performance.
"This is a fascinating opportunity for me personally and I have been very encouraged by the very positive response which I have received when calling on farms in the area. Nickerson Direct is very well respected, farmers are familiar with the name and even those who are not currently customers are very keen to talk to me about their cropping plans for the 2011/2012 season."
