Dairy engineering equipment manufacturer, SHEPHERD AGRI, has announced the appointment of a new dairy hygiene product manager.
The appointment of Sue Ridge, who has experience as a dairy farmer, mastitis consultant and after-sales manager, will show SHEPHERD AGRI’s commitment to dairy hygiene products, the company said.
Graham Shepherd, chief executive at SHEPHERD AGRI, said: “Sue has a lifetime experience in this sector and her ability to troubleshoot on farm will be a welcome new resource for us and our farmers.
“Animal health and wellbeing sit at the heart of everything we do, and Sue’s vast experience will help our customers produce great quality milk from healthy and productive cows.”
Shepherd said, as a company, SHEPHERD AGRI wants to grow dairy hygiene sales in order to meet its vision and goals and the “opportunity to recruit Sue was one that we did not want to miss”.
“We are looking forward to her getting out on the road, visiting farmers and helping them to have the best possible systems in place for their cows.”
Specialising in dairy
Ridge said that, although she did not grow up on a farm, she has always wanted to milk cows.
“I kept my horse on a farm and loved helping out, so I applied to study agriculture at Myerscough College, specialising in dairy,” she said.
“I did six months’ work experience on a beef and sheep farm and 18 months on a dairy farm, and then went on to do trial work in nutrition at the college.”
Ridge then married a dairy farmer and began milking 400 cows between two units an became secretary of the Western Holstein Club before starting a 10-year stint at GEA as a dairy hygiene manager.
“I’ve known and worked with Chris and Graham Shepherd for many years, and I’m really looking forward to being part of their team,” Ridge said.
“They provide exactly what farmers need, and my role will be to add value to those products by troubleshooting problems on-farm. It’s all about filling farmers’ needs, not selling products for the sake of selling.”
