After 25 years service as an agricultural feed adviser with Norvite, Iain Macdonald will retire from the company next month.
Since joining the firm in March 1998, Iain also known as Mr Norvite, has become a familiar face throughout the north and north-east, making lifelong friends with livestock producers who have relied on his expertise.
Originally from a farm in Mid Lothian, Iain studied various agricultural courses, one of which was an agricultural correspondence course at 15 to 16 years which he saw advertised in the Farmers Weekly.
In his mid-20s, he did day release for two years at Oatridge Agricultural College studying the City and Guild Farm Business Management, before attending Bishop Burton College.
He worked as a general farmer work on Arran, before taking on a farm manager assistant’s role near Balerno and then down in Wiltshire.
In August 1979, Iain was offered a farm manager role on the late Willie Rose’s three pig farms near Inverness, taking charge of the 500 breeding sows.
He enjoyed many achievements during his time there including being crowned the winners of the Royal Highland Show’s pork carcase competition and the producers category of The Scottish Meat and Livestock Award.
After his time as farm manager, Iain took his first job off farm and worked for five years as a feed adviser with Bibbys, which had a feed mill based at Scone in Perthshire.
Thereafter, he joined Norvite and has spent the last 25 years travelling the length and breadth of the country from Orkney in the north, down to Newtonmore in the south and over to Keith in the east.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with Norvite – it’s a very personal job and I’ve never considered the farmers as customers, I refer to them as people and friends,” said Iain.
“A lot of the farmers I worked with have been dealing with Norvite for the past 50 years and I’ve been fortunate to work with two generations.
“The children that I used to see at as youngsters on the farm are now the ones running the businesses.”
Iain admitted that the job had its challenges, particularly when subsidies changed from headage payments to area payments.
He recalls that farmers didn’t receive their payment until the May, rather the December, which understandably made it difficult for many.
“During this job, I’ve learnt that farmers have an independence of mind and they have great strength to battle through the challenges,” he said.
“Every farmer was important to me, it didn’t matter how big or how small. I always found it hugely rewarding if we designed a plan to improve things for a farm business and its livestock, and it worked. It was quietly satisfying.”
Iain also spent a lot of time doing silage analysis for livestock producers, doing roughly 250 samples each year for nutrition and minerals.
This was a skill he brought with him to Norvite and felt it was something he could give back to those who purchased products from the company.
“There have been many changes since I started at Norvite,” he said.
“One major change is the declining stock numbers, on many farms and there a few farms or crofts which I previously visited now no longer there.”
Out with his role at Norvite, Iain has dedicated a huge part of his life to the local community, particularly Croy village where his five children grew up.
He has been the Cub Scout leader since 1982 and more recently has offered hours of voluntary time to the Royal Highland Education Trust’s (RHET) Highland area which he has been chairman of for four years.
Attending agricultural shows and events, as well as Stirling Bull Sales, has been in a highlight in his career, as well as guiding school parties for more than 20 years at the Royal Highland Show.
Impressively, Iain has been the commentator in the main ring at Nairn Show for 40 years and has been doing the same stint at Keith Show for the past 22 years.
“I would like to thank all of the farmers who have supported me over the years in my time with Norvite,” he said.
“Thank you for the friendship, hospitality and the business, and very best wishes for the future.”
