Clients of livestock business benefiting from fresh talent, professionally trained 

Succession planning is a significant issue for farmers. In common with much of the agriculture sector, around ten years ago, PGG Wrightson confronted the fact that our livestock team wasn't growing any younger.

To address that fact, we introduced a comprehensive trainee programme to provide new young rural professionals recruited to our team with the skills necessary for a career advising farmers on their sale and purchase of livestock. This is a programme intended to invest in the future of the business by supporting the young up-and-comers who will grow and develop with us to deliver that future.

Our trainee programme comprises a 12-month skills academy via an Industry Training Organisation (ITO) course, offering participants a formal professional qualification in livestock. This is supplemented by in-house training focusing on the likes of assessing livestock, analysing studs, and evaluating potential on-farm performance enhancement.

All PGG Wrightson trainees are assigned a sponsor or mentor within the company responsible for guiding them through their training.

Ten years on, the programme has shown its worth, with a multitude of fresh talent in the shape of graduate trainees now fully embedded in the business, providing excellent service to our clients and creating their own legacy within PGG Wrightson.

Graduates of the trainee programme are becoming our top performers, mainly stamping their mark with their auctioneering ability. Several former trainees have gone on to win or place highly in the annual Heartland Bank Young Auctioneers Competition.