Meet our new Farmer Focus writer: Tony Bayles

We asked our new writers to answer a few quick-fire questions to give you a taster of what they’ll be talking about before they put pen to paper.

Name and location.

Tony Bayles, Thetford, Norfolk

What type of farm do you run?

We run a 1,000-sow breeding herd producing 7kg pigs and all our own replacement stock on contract to a large local producer.

The farm is rented on a farm business tenancy. We are selling 27 pigs a sow a year.

Describe yourself in four words

Ambitious, focused, forthright and family-oriented.

See also: Read Farmer Focus writer Tony Bayles’ first column

What are your hobbies off the farm?

I enjoy most sports, especially rugby, football and Formula 1, but my passion is my week on the river Teviot salmon fishing. I also enjoy spending time with my family.

If you could change one thing about the agricultural industry, what would it be and why?

The one thing I would most like to change in farming would be our inability to connect fully with our end users across all sectors of the industry.

I strongly believe we have so much to offer in terms of product security and traceability.

Tell us about the funniest moment you have had on the farm

At the time this wasn’t funny. While drilling into a hollow block wall there was a sudden whoosh.

My face was covered in a liquid and all those around me burst into howls of laughter.

Unknown to me someone had dropped a blue spray can into the hollow wall and I had hit it and ended up looking like a Smurf.

 See also: Read more from our new writers

What gadget couldn’t you live without and why?

My mobile and laptop – they enable me to keep in contact with both business contacts and family.

If you could farm in any other country where would it be and why?

Canada – they are open-minded and farming-focused.

What are your aspirations for the future?

I would like to expand sow numbers, either indoors or outdoors, and continue to fine-tune our performance factors.