THIS week Denise Plummer has handed the reins over to me, Natalie, her niece.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been helping out at home, doing the relief milking, milk recording and the odd bit of tractor work too.

I was trusted with cultivating the wheat fields that had recently been harvested to prepare them for the drilling of autumn crops. Cultivating helps destroy weeds, improve water infiltration and aerate the soil.

However, in one field, Richard and I discovered onion couch grass (Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum), growing.

It is important to remove it because it competes directly with winter wheat for nutrients, can increase the risk of lodging and makes harvest troublesome, all leading to yield losses. Lodging is the collapse of the cereal stem when it can no longer support its own weight.

Therefore, we decided it would be best to use a herbicide which would act on the leaves of the plant to improve the distribution of the herbicide, before cultivating to increase the chance of eradicating this weed pest.

We also had a visit from Ian Rand, the CEO of Business Banking at Barclays.

Mr Rand was looking to further his understanding of the day-to-day workings of a farm and how this relates to the way farmers invest, borrow and do business.

It was encouraging to hear that he found his time on farm very important in that it enabled him to relay a more accurate account of the needs of the agricultural sector to those making the big decisions for its financial future.

Lastly, I thought I would share with you my year in industry which I have just completed. This is part of my four-year degree studying BSc Agriculture at Reading University. My placement was with McDonald’s, as a Progressive Young Farmer, and can honestly say it has been the best experience of my life.

I have been following the beef supply chain from calf rearing unit to restaurant counter, learning how each stage of the supply chain is managed and the time and effort that goes into each and every product.

As well as beef, I have had an insight into the other products in the McDonald’s range such as pork, dairy and potatoes.

Not only have I travelled extensively, from a free range egg company in the Lake District, to calf procurement day on the Isle of Wight, I have networked with a huge number of industry leaders, from George Eustice (Minister for Agriculture) to Jane King (CEO of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board).

Along the way I have spoken at conferences, written blogs for the NFU and run the London Marathon for Ronald McDonald House charities, raising £650.

My one piece of advice for any young person in any industry after my experiences this year would be, take every opportunity that comes your way, and if it doesn’t come your way, then make your own opportunities.