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.
