Name?
Edward Wise
Your role with Advantage Feeders?
I’m the MD of Wise Agriculture, the UK distributor for Advantage Feeders
Tell us a bit about your background – did you grow up on a farm or find your way into the industry later in life?
I grew up on a mixed arable, beef and sheep farm. I’ve always loved nuts and bolts and making things. The job I’m in now is a great cross-over over both!
What areas have you been involved in – sheep, cattle, cropping, agribusiness or a bit of everything?
Growing up on a mixed farm has given me a really good insight into different parts of the industry. We’ve always been a very hands-on kind of farm so I had plenty of experience building grain stores, shuttering concrete, welding and all machinery maintenance.
What’s one of your favourite memories from your time in the industry?
I think any time I’ve been drilling wheat into a nice seed bed in decent weather towards the end of the mad busy season – the decent weather and nice seed beds in the UK are a long way from guaranteed!
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt along the way?
Process. Process. Process. It doesn’t matter if you’re assembling feeders, feeding cattle, paying bills, loading the dishwasher. Everything should be as easily repeated as possible. It makes everyone’s life much simpler, reduces errors and saves time.
What’s the funniest or most memorable thing that’s happened to you on the job?
Lately – we lost an impact gun, couldn’t find it anywhere and then saw it in a photo balanced on the back of a flatbed truck. We called the driver and it was still there; it had travelled 500 miles including a ferry journey to the Orkney Isles.
If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
There’s a cost to everything… Holding off on making decisions. Keeping that box of random parts you don’t want to throw away and moving it 200 times. Not paying for help. Doing half a job and having to come back to it.
It’s easy to think very much in terms of not spending £££ but that doesn’t always translate into saving £££.
What’s one job you’ve always enjoyed – and one you’d happily never do again?
Anything with nuts and bolts – love them. I don’t like heights so would definitely rather not have to roof a building ever again.
How has your past experience helped you in your role at Advantage Feeders?
I know the industry, I know my customers and what they need and I can communicate that effectively because I’m a farmer too!
My love for all things practical has been incredibly important for managing the assembly side of the business.
What’s one thing you wish more people understood about life in the farming industry?
I think Jeremy Clarkson has done a pretty good job of highlighting the ins and outs of UK farming to the general public – he’s done far more than we could have asked for as an industry.
Quick-fire: Early mornings or late nights? Sheep or cattle? Outside or office? Coffee or tea?
Late nights.
Sheep.
Outside.
Tea with milk, no sugar – never coffee, dreadful stuff.
