Farming / Agriculture / Fertiliser

Throughout most of my career agriculture has played a part. My grandad, Jim Phelps, as a young man was a very hard working milk recorder for the Milk Marketing Board; he also worked as a relief milker and turned his hand to any job on local farms to make money and save up to buy a farm which he did in 1952. A fantastic achievement. Within a few years he increased the acreage to 240 acres. His career and success was totally based on hard work and determination and I thank him for inspiring me. Today his sons farm over 600 acres of prime UK arable land.

In 1969 I went to Nottingham University, Sutton Bonington to study agriculture.
During that time I had my 1st business with my business partner Martin Hughes-Jones rearing turkeys.

1973 – I joined ICI Agricultural Division as an adviser to farmers in Lincolnshire on the best use of fertiliser – the real objective of course was to sell ICI fertiliser.

1974 – I joined Fountain Farming – milking 300 cows on a rotary parlour on the Isle of Wight and then went on to Essex to milk over 400 cows on a 30 point rotary parlour – the biggest in the UK at that time.

1975 – I joined Thames Nitrogen Ltd – a manufacturer of 100,000 mt of Ammonium Nitrate per annum. My first entrepreneurial job. I was given 2 days training at the factory office in Rainham, Essex, given a car and told to sell a minimum of 20,000 mt per annum in the uk north of a line from Bristol to the Wash. I got in my car and headed north – no accommodation – nothing. But I did it. Tough way to learn.

1977 – Thames Nitrogen went bust and Albright & Wilson’s Agricultural Division head hunted me. Again a very entrepreneurial job. I worked from home selling a full range of agricultural fertilisers to UK distributors. The job went very well. During 1982 I studied a lot of industrial chemistry applicable to A&W and later that year transferred to A&W’s company export Dept. (CXD). Working in CXD I was given a lot of freedom and my biggest success was in 1986 selling 20,000 mt of STPP to PZ Cussons and Unilever in Nigeria.

1992 – Cayley bought 100 acres of prime UK arable farmland – my Uncles rented it from me and grew wheat. 5 years later we sold it.

Since 1996 I have not been involved in Agriculture.

To see our full range of regularly supplied chemical raw materials, please click the ‘Products’ button below and scan through our products or search for a particular product.

Cayley chemicals can supply a very broad range of products at very competitive prices to virtually anywhere in the world.  Get in touch with us now with your name, email address, product name, specification, quantity, destination and any special requirements and we will get back to you very quickly.