Who we are

Robert Bull

Robert is a self employed consultant, specialising in large-scale dairy farming and estate management for a range of clients and estate sizes.  Current areas of specialization include contract management, SPS & cross compliance, Stewardship in its old format and Environmental Stewardship in its new format, forestry management, soil, nutrient, manure and crop protection management plans etc.

Robert runs a large national dairy group which supplies technical information and assistance to livestock farmers incorporating a buying group and an educational programme utilising industry funding.

Prior to setting up his consultancy business Robert was employed as the Senior Dairy Consultant, Herd and Farm Manager at ADAS Bridgets, Winchester with 700 milking cows, up to 700 youngstock and 2000ac of cereals as well as an intensive research programme for both dairy and arable production, the largest mixed research establishment in Europe.  As well as the day to day management and planning of the farming operations he had specific control and project management of research projects associated with high yielding cows on high forage systems.

Robert holds the following professional qualifications which help to ensure farmers who use his services stay up to date and comply with legislation, codes of practice, cross compliance etc:

• FACTS, BASIS, BETA, ICM
• Artificial Insemination
• COSHH & Risk Assessment
• Ongoing CPD Business Planning & Development courses
• Several research publications

Robert also runs his own farming enterprise involving Equine and beef.

Ivor Bending

Ivor has been an independent Agricultural Consultant for over 30 years, specialising in ruminant nutrition and dairy cow management, and has a very wide experience consulting in the USA, Israel and Italy. Ivor is a Nuffield Scholar and studied Dairy Cow Nutrition in the USA. 

Since 1990 Ivor has liaised with Cornell University developing the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System for use in the UK and creating the CNCPS UK Feed Database.

Prior to this Ivor was managing large Estates and dairy herds and was a pioneer of TMR's, the feeding of lucerne and maize to dairy cows, leader follower grazing and 23 month heifer rearing.   
He was co-founder of the  Straights Feeders Group, which later founded The Maize Growers Association, and was responsible for the development and promotion of  caustic treated wheat and  linseed and the feeding of  whole cottonseed.

Ivor imported the first cow mattresses into the UK and developed the use of silage covers, now NoTyreTex, to eliminate tyres on clamps. 

Barrie Audis

Prior to becoming a consultant in 1996 he was Farm Manager for many years for Scottish Amicable Farms Ltd (1800 acres) in Worcestershire. The business grew 1200 acres of combinable crops with the rest of the area down to forage cropping to feed the 300 head Salas Holstein herd complete with the associated youngstock.

Barrie was an early pioneer of TMR feeding and was a founder member of the Straights Feeders Group and Maize Growers Association.

He describes himself as a consultant at the sharp end having had the experience of running a large business for fund managers on the basis of making money out of acres and cows.

Prestigious posts held have been in 1993 Chairman of the British Cattle Breeders Club and in 1999 he delivered a paper in the USA to The Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.

Barrie who is self employed specialises in practical farm management, cattle nutrition and troubleshooting where his strength is the ability to work with associates.