OUR PEOPLE
ROB HAVARD & LIZZIE HULTON-HARROP
Rob and Lizzie farm together at their two family farms in Worcestershire and Shropshire.
Rob is a sixth-generation farmer and professional ecologist. He has been using Holistic Management to inform his farming practice since completing Kirk Gadzia's Advanced Holistic Management course with ReGenAg UK in October 2014 and as a result now integrates planned grazing on the 1000+ acres of diverse pasture he grazes with his herds.
Rob's main focus is on the marriage of productivity and ecological gain. As a hands on farmer he speaks from experience, providing practical insight to making ecological enhancing productivity happen. Using the grazing techniques that are based on recreating natural processes allows Rob to grow fitter cattle for less money while leaving the land in a better state than when he found it.
Rob is currently undertaking a Nuffield scholarship studying the ‘Evaluation of beef cattle selection methods for profitability in grass-fed production systems’. More information on Rob's study can be found here.
Lizzie grew up on her family farm in Shropshire, studied French at the University of Nottingham, completed a Masters in Charity Management, and later worked in London for a few years before returning to Shropshire in 2018.
Lizzie and her Mum, Jane, have farmed together in partnership since 2021, taking the land back in hand after it had been let out for a number of years on annual grazing licences. After completing the comprehensive Holistic Management course with 3LM, they decided to rest the land from all livestock and machinery for 12-18 months to let it recover naturally. Next on their list was to buy some cows! This is when Rob and Lizzie met. We all travelled to Scotland together and bought some Pedigree Aberdeen Angus. Rob and Lizzie have now joined their herds and farm together.
MITCH GREEN
Mitch has worked for Phepson Angus since May 2022 as calving assistant and relief stockman and joined the team as a full-time stockman in September 2023. He is responsible for the day-to-day husbandry and grazing management of our cattle and land.
Mitch has experience in commercial pig production and dairy farming and graduated from the University of Leeds in 2022 with a BSc in Zoology, focusing on animal ecology and livestock production. He then studied for an MSc in Sustainable Food Systems, putting his passion for nature-friendly farming into the wider context of diets, public health, food and environmental policy, supply chains and food poverty.
He is particularly interested in collaborative, farmer-led design and delivery of nature recovery projects and studied this in the context of the Landscape Recovery Scheme as part of his MSc dissertation.
RUPERT WOODLEY
Rupert grew up in the countryside of Worcestershire which allowed him to gain an interest in agriculture. He is currently studying a Level 3 Extended diploma in agriculture, at Hartpury College that has given him a thorough outlook on the farming methods and practices used in today's world.
Rupert found Phepson Angus through social media and thought it was a place he would enjoy working in as he could extend his knowledge and understanding of beef cattle.
He looks to develop his role and to become more knowledgeable in this area of work. As the youngest member on the team, he finds myself in a position where he can look forward in the business, see what opportunities arise and to put his ideas forward. He believes that making sustainable practices and systems in the field of work can provide more positive outcomes and produce higher quality cattle
SARAH DUSGATE
Sarah joined the business in March 2020 and worked with Phepson Angus until September 2023. We are very lucky to still have Sarah do some cover from time to time. We wish her all the best in her new role at New House Farm!
Not from a farming family, but growing up in a rural Welsh community, Sarah developed an interest in agriculture from a young age.
Sarah graduated from the University of Liverpool with a degree in Bioveterinary Science in 2016 and soon after joined the livestock department of a knowledge exchange organisation, working on 2 main work streams; 'Responsible Antibiotic Use', and 'The Role of Sensors in Dairy Farming'. The position involved visiting and collating best practice on these topics across UK and European farms, followed by the creation and dissemination of resources through farmer workshops and media platforms.
In 2018 Sarah set up her own business Brightstock, producing media content for various agriculture companies, whilst continuing to be involved with dairy cattle research projects. Setting up her own business enabled Sarah to allocate time to working on farms to gain more hands on practical experience and skills.