Meet our graduate agricultural trainee

9th August 2017

We have recently created a new agricultural trainee role as part of our ongoing commitment to developing new talent and expanding our links with free range egg producers.

Tom Rhodes, 23, is a Leeds University graduate who has grown up on his family farm. Tom joined us earlier this year to begin a structured programme of training working alongside our Head of Agriculture Richard Pearson.

Stage one of Tom’s training as an agricultural trainee has involved learning about the operational side of this business and this has seen him working in the packing centre, going out on collections and spending time in the offices observing the many areas of expertise that exist within our team.

Tom has now progressed to stage two, which will see him learning more about how we work with our producers.

Tom has already met many of our farmers, including some of our newest producers, to find out how we support them at every stage of their business.

Far from being a bystander, Tom has spent time working alongside our farmers to help them care for their flocks. Having grown up on a farm, he isn’t afraid of hard work and he has been a useful extra pair of hands.

“I’ve been amazed at how much there is to learn and how much care and attention goes into rearing a happy, healthy flock,” said Tom.

“I’ve also been impressed by the amount of support producers receive from Chippindale Foods and how much of a partnership it really is.

“There’s a lot to pick up and it’s hard to imagine that I’ll ever know as much as Richard and the rest of the team but I’m really looking forward to building my knowledge and experience over time,” he added.