Fantastic feeling in new role
I’ve learnt that the secret to change is to channel all of your energy into it, not to fight with the old, but to build on the new.
It was, therefore, a fantastic feeling when 600 calves headed through the gates at Market Drayton on only my third Wednesday in my new role as calf auctioneer with Market Drayton Market Ltd and much to the surprise of many, this number of calves has become a regular occurrence at Drayton market.
Selling and procuring calves forms only part of my role in the market where I also focus on weanlings and store cattle, which have seen increased numbers to 500 and 800 each month respectively. I have also been involved with the new bi-monthly machinery sale, held for the first time in September, which is something the team at Market Drayton Market are planning to develop over the next 12 months and includes plans to introduce an online bidding platform in 2020.
To complement my work as a livestock auctioneer, I also work with Barbers Rural Consultancy who are a well-established and experienced firm of chartered surveyors and rural estate agents headed up by husband and wife team, Mike and Louise Taylor. In my role as a fully qualified chartered surveyor I get involved with a wide variety of professional work associated with rural land and property.
While the two businesses are separate, the synergy between them is clear. Both firms are providing services and advice to the farming community and there is little doubt that the joint traditional role of livestock auctioneer and qualified valuer is a declining one.
Few of my contemporaries from the Rural Estate and Land Management course at Harper Adams have followed the traditional ‘joint’ route, with most of them specialising solely in surveying. I intend to buck that trend! My goal is to develop the two complementary sides of my career so that I can provide a full and comprehensive service to farming clients whether in the livestock market, on-farm valuing stock or giving professional advice on a farming business matter.
Jonty Cliffe BSc(Hons) MRICS is a rural surveyor with Barbers Rural Consultancy LLP and livestock auctioneer with Market Drayton Market Ltd.
