Our people
Our staff have developed a wealth of experience working in the dairy industry. We have specialists in nutrition, milking technology, organic farming, the environment, breeding & fertility. All of our consultants have a special interest in the regions in which they work around the UK.
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Ian Powell, Managing Director, B.Sc. Agriculture, MBIAC, MInstLM
E-Mail - Ian.Powell@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07831 617952
Ian is Managing Director of The Dairy Group. Ian works with a wide range of clients in providing strategic management, business appraisals, farm management and dairy consultancy. Ian has developed complex milk models to provide analysis of historic and projected milk prices. These models are used to develop milking price payment systems and to assist in milk field analysis. Ian is also responsible for the technical support services in The Dairy Group which include input sourcing services, MCi dairy costings, milk price database, dairy costs database, dairy resource database, NVZ Manager and the bull selection database. Ian achieved a qualification (ILM Level 5) in Dairy Lean Management at Reaseheath College in 2014. Ian worked for ADAS for 24 years in a variety of business management roles before creating The Dairy Group in 2004.
Ian Ohnstad, Director, B.Sc. Agriculture
Location - Milking Technology National Specialist
E-Mail - Ian.Ohnstad@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 00 44 7774 267900
Ian Ohnstad is an internationally recognised specialist in milking technology. He leads The Dairy Group team of milking technology specialists, which provide independent advice on milking parlour specification and operation, hygienic milk production, mastitis control and dairy building design.
Ian has considerable experience in the preparation of reports for the purpose of litigation and has acted for claimants, defendants and as a single joint expert in all areas relating to milk harvesting, milk quality and animal husbandry.
He has an active research portfolio and collaborates on research projects in many different countries. He is often requested to manage field trials and product evaluations.
Ian is the Chairman of the British Mastitis Conference and is on the Board of Directors of the National Mastitis Council in the USA. He is an active member of the Central Mastitis Review Group and sits on the AHDB Dairy Mastitis Control steering group.
As well as working throughout the UK, Ian has considerable overseas experience providing consultancy in the USA, Australia, Africa, New Zealand, the Middle East and Japan as well as throughout Europe.
Ian Ohnstad worked for ADAS for 14 years before joining The Dairy Group.
Richard Lane, Dairy Business Consultant, BSc Hons
Location ~ South of England
E-Mail - Richard.Lane@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07717 502505
Richard is from a farming background and after graduating from Seale-Hayne with a degree in Agriculture worked for a number of feed supply companies specialising in nutrition. Richard created his own independent nutrition & business consultancy business. By joining The Dairy Group in 2020 Richard can offer clients a far greater range of services while working with some of the very best specialist consultants in the industry. Richard works across the South of England delivering consultancy in nutrition, monitoring and benchmarking, business management and planning, working with farmers and their teams to drive efficiency, reduce waste while improving animal welfare and environmental sustainability.
Nick Holt-Martyn, Principal Consultant, B.Sc. Agriculture
E-Mail - Nick.Holt-Martyn@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07836 348507
Nick Holt-Martyn worked for ADAS for 17 years and is now a Principal Consultant with The Dairy Group. Nick works with a diverse range of clients from farmers, dairy companies to Defra and EU Institutions. Nick uses strong intellectual, analytical and communications skills to deliver consultancy on international dairy markets, milk production forecasts, climate change, the impact of weather, institutional development and product research and development. These skills have produced unique solutions and models for UK dairy production, Single Farm Payment evaluation, Eurostat milk statistics, Milk Market Price Equivalent and milk price forecasting.
Tim Mckendrick, Principal Consultant, B.Sc. Agriculture, M.Sc.Dairy Animal Science
Building Design, Dairy Husbandry and Milking Technology Specialist
E-Mail - Tim.Mckendrick@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07979 707493
Tim Mckendrick worked for ADAS for 6 years before joining The Dairy Group in 2004. Tim provides dairy building design services, including planning application and project tender services. Tim provides specialist advice in mastitis control, milk quality and the operation of the milking machine. He delivers technical training and support to farm staff, including courses for Polish workers on UK dairy farms.
Will Hawkyard, Principal Consultant, B.Sc. Agriculture
Location ~ South Devon
E-Mail - Will.Hawkyard@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07831 477296
Will Hawkyard worked for ADAS for 21 years before joining The Dairy Group in 2004. Will specialises in business management issues and dairy cow nutrition, but also covers the whole range of dairy farm management issues.
He has been involved in running farmer discussion groups for many years and has a wide knowledge of the current funding opportunities for such groups.
He is responsible for The Dairy Group feed buying groups in Devon and Cornwall and for sourcing of organic feeds in the South West.
Based just outside Torbay he works with clients across South, West and East Devon and parts of Somerset.
Becky Tavernor, Senior Dairy Business Consultant & Environmental Specialist, BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, NSch.
Location ~ Shropshire
E-Mail - Becky.Tavernor@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07774 120412
Becky Tavernor is a senior dairy business consultant and is the environmental specialist within the company. She provides advice to farmers on a range of agri-environmental issues including soil and manure management, ELS, HLS, pollution prevention, and cross compliance. FACTS and BASIS soil and water management certified, Becky has extensive knowledge of soil fertility and nutrient applications, including organic manures.
Becky works with clients to improve business performance through cashflow and profit forecasting, monitoring performance and carrying out milk buyer analysis and business reviews. Becky is a deliverer on the DairyCo mastitis control plan and works with clients to improve technical performance and husbandry standards.
Christine Pedersen, Senior Consultant, BSc (Hons) Agriculture
Location – Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire
E-Mail - Christine.Pedersen@thedairygroup.co.uk
Tel - 07831 172940
Christine is an experienced dairy business specialist advising farmers on both technical and business management issues including:
Technical
- Dairy cow and youngstock management
- Nutrition and feeding management
- Forage crop planning and production
- Fertility
- Bull selection
- Dairy cow health and welfare
Business Management
- Business / enterprise reviews and appraisals
- Cashflow and profit forecasts
- Contract / share farming
- Milk buyer analysis
- Staff employment issues
- Basic Payment Scheme
- Countryside Stewardship
Christine works closely with her clients (family farming partnerships, limited companies and estates) and alongside other industry professionals (vets, accountants and bank managers) to help them achieve their objectives. Christine also edits the bi-monthly Dairy Group newsletter as well as writing articles for other dairy publications.
Nigel Hardie, Consultant
Location ~ North West
E-Mail - Nigel.Hardie@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07710 898983
Nigel Hardie is a dairy business specialist providing consultancy to improve farm profit, technical performance and efficiency. Nigel also provides consultancy for Robotic milking systems and works with the manufacturers and individual clients to set up and optimise their systems for best operation and efficiency. The delivery of Robot Manager is a key part of the work he does in this field. Nigel provides consultancy on environmental schemes and is FACTS qualified for fertiliser planning. He has experience in diversification, organic farming, animal welfare and the Basic Payment Scheme.
Susie Felix, Senior Consultant
Location ~ North West, West Midland and North Wales
E-Mail - Susie.felix@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07471 035199
Susie Felix is a dairy business management specialist providing consultancy in all areas dairy consultancy to improve profitability and technical performance. Susie provides consultancy to clients on business plans, cashflows, strategic planning, investment appraisal, budgeting, fertiliser and manure planning, dairy cow nutrition grassland management. She is FACTS and BASIS water & soil qualified. Susie provides assistance to farm businesses surrounding all areas of compliance such environmental schemes (Countryside Mid Tier), Cross Compliance, NVZ, BPS.
Susie also works on national contracts such as CSF and for AHDB Dairy and AHDB Beef & Sheep. She also manages a number of The Dairy Group feed groups across Cheshire and West Midlands.
John Baines, Milking Technology Specialist
Location - North of England
E-Mail - John.Baines@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07421 373837
John Baines has resumed his consultancy career with The Dairy Group after 21 years as Technical Director with Fullwood Ltd. In his early career, John was the National Milking Technology Specialist with ADAS which included a spell working at the Bridgets Experimental Husbandry Farm. John has wide and varied experience of milking cows, goats, sheep, buffaloes and camels in many countries. Since 1992, he has represented the UK in International Standards Committee work on Milking Machine Standards. During his time with Fullwood, he led the team developing its automatic milking system and associated technologies. He is also a founder member of "Teat Club International", co-authoring a series of published papers on dairy cow teat condition. Working with The Dairy Group will be an opportunity to share this wealth of experience and problem solving in milking management, systems and milk production.
John Twyford, Senior Dairy Business Consultant, MSc, MBA
Location - North Devon
E-Mail - Tohn.Twyford@thedairygroup.co.uk
Tel - 07889 720399
John is from a farming family and worked as a management consultant before returning to agriculture. He has 9 years in farm business management before joining The Dairy Group in 2020. John works mainly in Devon delivering consultancy in business management working with farmers and their bankers. He is involved in business strategy, accounting systems, business planning (budgets & forecasts), continuous improvement, cashflows, nutrition, grant schemes and nutrient management plans. John holds an MSc in Organic Farming which is an area of special interest to him.
Kevin Lane, Breeding Consultant
E-Mail - kevin.lane@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07770 923344
Kevin has joined The Dairy Group as a specialist breeding consultant having run the Cattle Breeding Consultancy for 24 years, giving independent hands-on advice to dairy farmers across the UK. Clients also benefit from fertility and reproduction management analysis and advice on heat detection, record keeping and insemination. Kevin maintains a detailed and accurate database of all available sires on the market with current proofs and pricing. Kevin looks to identify herd strengths and weaknesses and using his independent breeding programme, will mate the cows phenotypically or genotypically to the best bulls that suit the farm management structure, milk pricing and semen budget. The programme offers a choice of up to three sires per cow and checks for inbreeding at the same time. Milking cows, bulling heifers and maiden heifers can be mated. Kevin also works closely with NMR and audits the NMR bullfile every month, and he also writes on genetics for British Dairying.
Naomi Read, Dairy Business Consultant
Location - Somerset
E-Mail - naomi.read@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07768 701135
Naomi Lee provides advice to farmers on a one to one basis to improve business performance. Advice includes business management, such as business planning and appraisals, cashflows and budgets, identifying grant funding opportunities and assisting with grant applications, consulting on compliance with regulation, such as NVZs, Cross Compliance, Greening as part of BPS and completing BPS forms. Advice also includes technical consultancy on fertiliser, manure and soil management, environmental schemes, specifically Countryside Stewardship, milk forecasting and feed planning. Naomi is FACTS qualified and also delivers into national contracts for Natural England.
Jamie Radford, Dairy Business Consultant
Location - South West
E-Mail - jamie.radford@thedairygroup.co.uk
Mobile - 07795 385497
Jamie Radford provides advice to farmers on a one to one basis to improve technical and business performance. Advice includes business management, such as business planning and appraisals, cashflows and budgets, identifying grant funding opportunities and assisting with grant applications. Advice also includes technical consultancy on nutrition & feed planning, milk forecasting and milk price analysis, fertiliser, manure and soil management, environmental schemes, specifically Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
