Downland franchise partner Taylor Farm Supplies (TFS), based in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, have recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. We meet TFS RAMA, Holly Lockley who provides an insight into working closely with livestock producers to give local, trusted advice.

Holly works alongside business owner Pete Taylor as an AMTRA RAMA. In 2021, Holly gained her degree in Agriculture from the Royal Agricultural University, where she discovered her passion for animal health.

Prior to her role at TFS, Holly spent ten years working on farms around Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, with an array of livestock, lambing ewes to calf rearing, before spending a further five years as a herdswoman on a 650 head dairy farm.

Along with her on-farm experience and her degree in Agriculture, Holly also achieved a Triple Distinction Star Diploma in Animal Health a at Hartpury college and participated in a farming apprenticeship covering livestock, crops, and mechanics.

Holly joined TFS in 2021 and within 9 months had gained her AMTRA RAMA qualification.

Holly’s day starts in the office, where she responds to email enquiries and processes orders. In some cases, this will involve prescribing animal medicines and batch checking to ensure they are suitable for use and fit to leave the premises.

“I often visit clients to discuss and create personalised plans for their livestock, including the products they should be using and scheduling over the coming months,” says Holly.

The role of a RAMA is to ensure the medicines they are prescribing will be effective and prevent issues before they become detrimental to an animal’s health, whilst also informing the customer of the correct and safe way to use them.

“Prevention is always better than cure. Part of our role as RAMAs is to inform customers of the correct dosage, time to be treating, and express the importance of testing beforehand,” explains Holly.

FEC Testing

Holly is a strong advocate for faecal egg counting and has helped numerous sheep and cattle farmers reduce their use of anthelmintics by encouraging them to faecal egg count their livestock.

‘Something which is important for me to explain as an advisor is that there is more than one possible reason that their livestock may not be performing to their full potential. And exploring that with my customers is a strong passion of mine. My aim is to continue to get more flocks and herds on monthly and post treatment FEC counting!’

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