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Sue Joyce Regional Manager for CIS S
ue Joyce, Regional Manager for CIS (Cattle Information Service) shares her insight on the industry and how it’s changed over the years.
I feel lucky and proud to have worked in the dairy industry for more than 20 years. Where has that time gone? My career started in April 1996 when I joined Scottish Livestock Services as a full time milk recorder, progressing to an area manager and then regional manager. In those ‘good old days’ we had floppy disks and Ronnie Wallace (for those of you who remember him), who was a whizz on computers back then, but none of us could understand his broad Scottish accent. Mobile phones were local red phone boxes and paperwork was circulated via memorandums or faxes. Since then we were bought by Holstein UK and everything moved at a terrific pace and all for the better including laptops and mobile phones. The management team listened to the suggestions made by ourselves, recorders and farmers, all taken on board with changes made to implement ‘OUR’ ideas. Brilliant.
The industry has thrown its challenges at us all, in particular foot-and-mouth which had devastating consequences, but the farming community did what it does best and worked together to recover and re- build. Yet again farmers are faced with another challenge – low milk price. The focus is on how they can operate more efficiently and where possible look to cut costs in any which way they can. Importantly the focus needs to be on cutting the right costs, some cuts can be a false economy in the long- term.
My phone rings numerous times a day with farmers asking for prices on different services, many wanting to continue with their recordings, but reviewing cost effective alternatives. These may be adjusting the frequency or moving to DIY recording.
In my role I look at the current business and the long-term objectives to ensure the options recommended will continue to deliver the data required to help farmers make informed decisions. It’s a bit like being Marjorie Proops (for those of you who are old enough to know who she is).
The industry might look and sound all doom and gloom, but I am confident it will recover and strengthen. I have a fantastic team of milk recorders, working in many counties of England and Wales. They do a great job and will help out in neighbouring counties when necessary. Where else would you get a job travelling around the country, seeing some of the best cows and farmers and helping them to manage their businesses? It is one of the best jobs in the world.
Supporting myself and my team is the fantastic UKAS accredited laboratory in Telford and the processing team in Scotsbridge House. Heading up CIS is Sue Cope, a fantastic, inspirational leader with a vision that we all respect. When I’m not on farm or on the mobile, I enjoy in my spare time supporting Wolverhampton Wanderers and my wonderful family. I live for both of them, and as most of you know, I am not particularly happy or talkative on a Monday morning if there has been a poor result. For this season Mondays on the whole have been quiet. It can’t last forever.
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