Aaron Rook

Farm Manager

Canterbury, UK

Aaron Rook

Farm Manager

Canterbury, UK

I’m a 33-year-old male from the Canterbury area, I’ve been in the top fruit industry since I left 6th form at 17. During my career in farming over the years i've adapted new personal skills such as confidence, self motivation, problem solving, intitiative and willingness to learn which i think is very inportant in this idustry if you want to progress.

I'm a single parent with a 4-year-old son who is a huge fan of farming (not sure why) who I try and regularly see as much as possible. Of course, it can be difficult during peak season, but I've made things work. In my spare time I like to watch, and play football, go for walks and go and see friends and family. But of course with how 2020 is going it's been very difficult, lets hope for a better year in 2021!

Work Experience

Farm Manager • Weystreet Farm - David Figgis.

February 2017 - December 2020

Weystreet Farm is a family run business situated on the outskirts of faverhsam. They grow strawberries from everbearers (prize) to June bearers (Malling Centenary) totallying 15HA producing 300-350 tonnes per season and a vast range of top fruit from pears (conference) and apples (gala, bramley, cox, granny smith, jazz, rockit and braeburn) 80Ha producing 4000-4500 bins per season. supplying M&S mainly, co-op and Lidl.

Duties & Responsibilities:

*training new and old staff for the season as well as setting targets, goals, disciplinary and appraisals

*Tunnel coverings, on and off, plus fleece use.

*Manage and organising gangs for husbandry jobs such as leaf management, truss management and picking gangs for picking soft fruit.

*oragnising and managing gangs for thinning top fruit to the specification for our customers.

*organising and running Top Fruit picking gangs

*assist in the pest, and disease control on the soft & top fruit, liaising with the agronomist and farm owner, discussing options and implementation.

*Organise and assist with the irrigation for both soft & top fruit. Discuss options with independent advisors for products, and rates etc.

*Manage and operate the new 3300 bin CA storage facility. Monitoring the control of CA systems and DCA systems for pro-longing storage life for the top fruit in store. *Winner of Store Operative of the Year 2018.

*Visit to third party packhouse to monitor our fruit being graded.

*Red tractor farm readiness.

*Spraying top & soft fruit. Use of Hardi boom sprayers, and KWH 3 row sprayers.

*Fertilser spreading.

*Mowing.

*Weed killing.

General farm worker - Farm Manager • FW Mansfield & Son.

June 2005 - February 2017 - Farm Manager. (222 ha) 2014 - 2017.

FW Mansfields is one of the largest top/soft fruit Business in Kent with a turnover of approx £20million a year. a very diverse Business supplying an unlimited amount of customers.

June 2005 - 2014 General farm operative.

Here is where I started my career in farming late 2004 (seasonal) went fulltime (mid 2005) where I started work there as a seasonal tractor driver/picker in the top fruit picking gangs where I then was a supervisor. I then moved to work full time (2005) as a general farm worker where my roles where;

*spraying

*mowing

*weed killing

*helping with logistics of the harvest.

I was lead operator for new kit trials and use, such as gps patchwork guided vari-spreader + Munckhoff 3 row sprayer/RDS, leading to training new operatives. I worked with various machinery and I’m very familiar with old and modern machinery. From Hardi boom sprayers, 3 row sprayers. I did this for a few years until I was offered a junior management role to assist the farm manager with the day to day running of the farm for a year until I was appointed as a full time farm manager. Then I was responsible for 222 ha of top fruit. I was then responsible for;

*From making sure the spray operations where being managed and applied correctly

*managing a team of 10 full time staff to help with the day to day runnings of the farm by delgating jobs such as spraying etc.

*managing 150 pickers at peak season for our Apple harvest.

*keep upto date with records i.e training records and other forms of records with compliance to help the farm pass its audits.

Fresh Produce Operative • Morrisons

January 2003 - June 2005

During my school years from 16-18 i worked part-time on the produce department at Morrisons, Canterbury. Replenishing stock and helping customers locate products throughout the store.

REFERENCES

WORK - Bob Little - 07909760380

Personal - Carole Lawrence - 07928479249

Qualifications:

PA1, PA3b.

Balance Forklift

Lantra Telescopic License.

D1 license catergory

Education

Sep 1998 - Sep 2005

Canterbury High School

11 GCSE's

2 Diplomas in Sports science and Coaching.