 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
Lisa Hopwood Dairy Farm Services, Lisa Hopwood, Dairy Farm Services, Selby, Ontario, Selbyvale, Selbyvale Holsteins, Holsteins,...
| Return to Selbyvale Holsteins |
Lisa Hopwood Dairy Farm Services
About Lisa
I was born and raised in Bridgend, which lies halfway between Cardiff and Swansea in South Wales. From an early age I started riding, having my ponies stabled at a local farm and it was here that I was first introduced to milking cows. When I completed my high school education in June 1990, I began what was at first only to be a summer vacation job at The Greave Farm, a large dairy farm at Wenvoe, near Cardiff a high yield pedigree Holstien dairy enterprise.
By September of that year, I was working full-time, with one day a week studying at Pencoed College of Agriculture where I gained a Credit in the NEB Certificate in Agriculture - Milk Production at the end of a two-year Youth Training Scheme course.
This success encouraged me to enroll at Bicton College of Agriculture at Budleigh Salterton in Devon a leading Agricultural College, on the three year BTEC National Diploma in Agriculture course. At the end of the first year I was presented with the Bicton College Farm Craft Shield for being top practical student on the course.
The second year was an Industrial Placement on a very large dairy farm in Herefordshire. I was awarded the Duke of Cornwall Conservation Prize for the best Wildlife Conservation Project, the only award for second year Diploma in Agriculture students at Bicton, I also gained a Distinction for my Industrial Record of this year.
Finally in year three, I gained a Distinction in the National Diploma in Agriculture and was awarded the Devon County Agricultural Association Cup as top student on the three-year Diploma in Agriculture course at Bicton College. I also gained a Distinction for my major project "Badger, Friend or Foe" a study of the many controversial issues surrounding badgers and the spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in the UK.
On leaving Bicton, I first went to work on a 1700 acre arable farm at Whitchurch in Hampshire, gaining valuable experience in machinery handling, which was followed by a year on a dairy farm at Lambourne in Berkshire, before going on to attend the University of Plymouth, Seale-Hayne Faculty of Agriculture. At Seale-Hayne I was successful in gaining the BTEC Higher National Diploma in Agriculture and the 1997 Spillers Prize for Best Achievement in Farm Dairy Processing.
How little had I realised when leaving school in 1990, that my chosen career path would lead me to having many varied and exciting experiences, enabling me to travel throughout Europe to Denmark, Germany, Poland and France on to New Zealand, Australia and finally to Ontario, Canada, where I now permanently reside and work providing a relief herd management service for dairy farms in the Napanee and Selby areas.
I still enjoy horse riding and often reflect on my days with the Pony Club back home and to my ponies and horses, none more so than "Penny Princess", on whom my most memorable achievement was being placed 1st in the 1988 Glamorgan Hunt Open Pony Hunter Trial, ahead of over seventy other entries that day...
Work History
April 1999 - Present, Lisa Hopwood ~ Dairy Farm Services, Selby, Ontario, Canada.
Following on from a visit to friends in Napanee and back-packing across Canada to Vancouver Island, I was able to gain a temporary work permit and for two years worked on a farm typical of many small dairy herds in the eastern Ontario area. Initially much work was involved with improving the milk quaility and yeild also improving the general welfare of the herd. In August 2001 the herd exhibited at the Napanee Show for the very first time and gained second place in the class entered, which was a very proud moment for me. I continue to work hard, gaining further experience and having a full Canadian work permit, I permanently reside in Selby, providing a herd management service to local dairy farms.Dec 1998 - April 1999, Pencoed Agricultural College, Bridgend, Mid-Glamorgan, UK.
The college dairy herd comprised of 150 Holstein Fresians, my previous experience with the herd as a student, helped me to quickly assume responsibility at milking times and also providing extra cover at lambing time.
Click Her to View ReferenceSept 1998 - Dec 1998, Farm Force, Castle Street, Hereford, UK. (Agency)
Employed as the Relief Herdsperson at Elmdon Farm, Saffron Walden, Essex. All duties realting to the management of 160 head Jersey herd. With all my previous work with Holsteins, working with Jersey's helped broaden my dairy farming experience.Oct 1997 - Aug 1998, Marvin Farm Services, Matamata, New Zealand.
Working mainly in the Waikato region in the North Island throughout the time with Marvin Farm Service's, I gained a wide range of experiences working as either a relief herdsman or as relief herd manager, where I was often left in sole charge of the farm when herd owners had their annual holidays. These varied situations provided valuable learning experiences, building confidence in my own decision making. Click Here to View ReferencesNov 1995 - Sept 1996, Park Farm Partnership, Park Farm, Upper Lambourn, Newbury, Berkshire
My duties include all tasks associated with the running of a very successful dairy enterprise consisting of approximately 150 pedigree Holstein cows and calf rearing unit. In addition to exibiting at the Newbury Show where Park Farm won Supreme Champion, I was given the opportunity to exhibit two calves at the British Holstien Society, National Holstien Show at the National Agriculture Centre, Stoneleigh gaining places in two of the three classes entered. Click Here to View ReferenceJuly 1995 - Oct 1995, Tufton Farms Ltd, Whitchurch, Hampshire
On completion of my course at Bicton, I accepted an offer of employment with Tufton Farms Ltd, a 1700 acre arable enterprise specialising in grass, wheat and barley seed production. My duties included preparing storage areas and drying facility for the new harvest, corn carting, transport loading of hay, straw and corn. Following the harvest I was engaged on sub-soiling, rolling and direct drilling grass seed, further improving my machinery handling skills. Click Here to View ReferenceJuly 1993 - Sept 1994, The Green Farm, Felton, Hereford - Industrial Placement
The Green Farm, a mixed dairy and arable enterprise, with a herd of approx. 300 dairy cows and beef unit. My work here was an Industrial Placement the middle year of the National Diploma in Agriculture course. I was given responsibility as Assistant Herdsman and managed the milking parlour and calf unit. I was able to carry out calving, rearing, de-horning, etc. and helped reorganise the calving and AI records for the herd. I was able to develop my machinery handling skills in most aspects of farm work including potato harvesting and silaging.July 1990 - Sept 1992, The Greave Farm, Wenvoe, Cardiff, South-Glamorgan
The Greave Farm, a high yield 150 pedigree Holstein Fresian herd, milked three times a day. I was initially given the task of assisting the herdsman with the milking and attending to the calf unit, feeding and cleaning out, attending to the milking equipment and bulk storage. I was also assisted with calving, learing how to handle difficult births. As my training progressed I became proficient at tractor driving, machinery handling, maintenance and servicing. Click Here to View ReferenceTraining
July 1990 - Sept 1992, The Greave Farm, Wenvoe, Cardiff, South-Glamorgan - NEB Certificate in Agriculture
The Greave Farm was a high yield dairy enterprise with a 150 pedigree Holstein Fresian herd milked three times daily. My first duties included assisting the herdsman in the milking parlour and with the calf unit. Later my training covered a wide range of skills, animal husbandry, machinery handling and maintenance, dairy parlour maintenance. On completion of the two year course I was successful in gaining a Credit in the NEB Certificate in Agriculture - Milk Production, in addition I also passed the National Proficiency Test Council units, Health and Safety at Work, Driving, Attaching and Manouvering Self-Propelled Power Units, Basic Stock Husbandry, Basic Cultivating, Feeding Livestock, Basic Use Workshop Tools, Identifying Agricultural Plants and foundation modules IT1-Information Technology and PA1-Pesticides Application .
Sept 1992 - June1993, Bicton College of Agriculture, Budleigh Salterton, Devon - BTEC National Diploma in Agriculture
On completion of my first year, I was awarded the Bicton College Farm Crafts Shield, which is presented to the top practical first year student, on the Diploma in Agriculture course. I also gained the NPTC units, BF1 Beef Cattle Stock Tasks, Common Cattle Stock Tasks 1 and Common Cattle Stock Tasks 2.
July 1993 - Sept 1994, The Green Farm, Felton, Hereford - BTEC National Diploma in AgricultureThe second year of the course was an Industrial Placement. The Green Farm is a dairy farm and arable enterprise, with a herd of 300 dairy cows and a beef unit. I was given the responsibility of Assistant Herdsman managing the milking parlour and calf unit, responsible for calving, rearing and de-horning. During my time at the Green Farm I helped to reorganise the calving and AI records for the herd and further developed my machinery handling skills in most aspects of farm work together with potato harvesting and grading, silaging, etc. I was awarded the Duke of Cornwall Conservation Prize, a countryside conservation project based on improving farm environments for wildlife, the only award for second year students on the Diploma in Agriculture course at Bicton College. I also gained a Distinction for my Industrial Record for this sandwich year.
Sept 1994 - June1995, Bicton College of Agriculture, Budleigh Salterton, Devon - BTEC National Diploma in Agriculture
I was successful in completing the c ourse with Distinction and was awarded the Devon County Agricultural Association Cup, as top student on the three year NDAg. course at Bicton College. I was also awarded the Midland Bank Prize for top student in Farm Business Management an individual farm business management project and also the Midland Bank Farm Tenancy/Partnership Project Prize, a farm business management team project, awarded to third year students on the NDAg. course at Bicton College. I was also awarded a Distinction for my major project based on badgers and farming, titled "Badger, Friend or Foe", a study of the controversial issues surrounding badgers and the spread of bovine tuberculosis in the UK part. I gained a Credit in the City & Guilds Agriculture and Commercial Horticulture Business Management and also gained the NPTC unit ML1 Milk and Dairy Hygiene as well as passing JCB S25-58, Catergory 3, Fork Lift Truck Test.Sept 1996 - June 1997, Seale Hayne Faculty of Agriculture, University of Plymouth, Newton Abbott, Devon - BTEC Higher National Diploma in Agriculture
I was successful in completing the course, gaining six Distinctions and five Merits from the twelve course modules, I was also awarded the Spillers Prize for "Best Achievement in Farm Dairy Processing".Qualifications & Awards
1996 - 1997, University of Plymouth, Seale-Hayne Faculty of Agriculture, Newton Abbott, Devon.
1996, Institute of Agricultural Management, Farm Management Unit, University of Reading, Berkshire.
1990 - 1992, Pencoed College of Agriculture, Bridgend, Mid-Glamorgan.
