HGCA Board appointments announced

Two new members have been appointed to the HGCA Board for a three-year term.

Grain and biofuels consultant Richard Whitlock has joined as a trade representative alongside Rutland farmer Andrew Brown as a grower representative. Mr Whitlock has spent a 35-year career in grain trading at Frontier Agriculture, Banks Cargill and Sidney Banks before setting up as a grain and biofuels consultant in 2010. He is a regular speaker at industry related events, represents the UK grain trade on parliamentary and EU groups and is also the Chairman of AIC’s grain trade assurance scheme TASCC.

Mr Brown, a Chartered Environmentalist, runs a 250ha mixed farm in Rutland, including arable rotations comprising wheat, rape and beans in Higher Level Stewardship. A keen advocate of combining environmental sustainability with on-farm profitability, he has won several awards for conservation. He is also NFU East Midlands Chairman.

Mr Brown and Mr Whitlock will take up their new roles in April.

Pat Thornton has also joined HGCA as Arable Business Manager. The North Lincolnshire farmer has previously worked at NIAB TAG as a Consultant and Business Development Manager, as well as Farm Business Adviser at Business Link South Yorkshire. His focus will be working with HGCA’s Monitor Farms and Arable Business Groups, as well as supply chain projects such as the malting barley low carbon project run jointly with NIAB-TAG and Muntons.