LP&B 58 Jock Gibson Farming In Scotland

My guest on the programme is Jock Gibson; he is a farmer and butcher from Dallas, Forres in the North East of Scotland. My home town.

The launch of Change Your World Every Day

If you have listened to podcast 57 on fear and change, You will have heard my conversation with Suzy Beaumont. It was an unscheduled conversation that we decide to do as a Facebook live and it became a podcast.

We had been working together on the Change your world conference and the programme, and the conversation was rolling around that event.

The conference was a major success and brought together a room of amazing people all looking to make changes in their life. Including the wife as it happens.

I said at the time that there would be more, well that opportunity is now open to those beyond Scotland. Change Your World online launches in just a few days. Suzy in pulling in some amazing people and the process features daily actions that will take you forward. even if you are like me and struggle with the concept if goals as yet.

https://www.changeyourworld.me/CYW-Everyday

Check out change your worlds.me links on the life passion and business website.

Now lets get back to farming. and Jock Gibson

Unusually this conversation is not the result of a social media connection. When I arrived here 15 years ago, I became a consultant and did a stint with the local Enterprise company. Jock Gibson was one of my clients. I moved on from that contract, Jock and I kept in touch and have remained social media friends.

Together with his wife, Fiona, they farm beef cattle native to the Scottish Highlands and sell their produce through the family butchers shop Macbeth’s. They supply hotels and restaurants as well as private individuals up and down the country with an online shop. His business is vertical in that they see the process from start to finish.

Jock has become a man of the land. However originally he studied engineering at Manchester University and after completing a couple of years sailing, started work for a building services consultancy in Peterborough. That was not the path, so after another university degree and another engineering job in Glasgow, it was clear that was not the path. So Jock returned to Dallas to take on the family butchery business.

That is a story in itself..

My interest in getting Jock on the show has been his dedication and passion for his industry. He says that farming is the most exciting industry to be in at the moment as there is so much opportunity.

That opportunity came in 2015, after the death of his parents. He and Fiona took on the family farm and now live there with their three children.

Jock is active in the industry as a board member for Quality Meat Scotland, a director for the Farmer Jones Academy and on the steering committee for the Highlands & Islands Food and Drink Awards.

Our conversation is very different from previous guests. It is a hands-on hard job with some harsh realities. Agriculture like every business is facing enormous change. However, they are facing it at every level, with environmental concerns, regulations and political upheaval.

I also want Jock on the show as many of the previous guests have been virtual business or service providers. There is a story here of his family and his success and the challenges that he faces in a tight market.

While we managed to steer clear of Brexit sort of, it's almost impossible because it is such a significant issue in his life. It will affect pretty much everything that he does.

I hope you enjoy the conversation with Jock Gibson.