Produce supplier Farmcare has hired Loddington Farms’ Paul Smith as the new farm manager for its Highland Court Estate in Kent.

Smith was previously working as production manager at his family business, having also worked for Kent County Council in the past.

He said: ‘’I’m really looking forward to working with a new team at Farmcare and pushing for class one, high-yielding orchards. It’s my ambition to run the best farm possible.’’

Highland Court is a large estate, spanning five farms in a twelve mile radius, growing predominantly nine varieties of apples, as well as peas, plums, cherries, apricots, blackcurrants, strawberries, courgettes and beans. It uses the latest technology to produce a higher yield through machine-driven pruning and picking.

Farmcare CEO Richard Quinn said: ‘’We’re really pleased to welcome Paul on board. You can see his passion for farming shining through and this is an important year for Highland Court – and the topfruit sector as a whole - so I’m looking forward to seeing some impressive results.”

Smith added: ‘’I’m from a farming family – I grew up on the farm before moving out of agriculture for a while though pursuing a linked field: taking a degree in Environmental Science at Plymouth University.

‘’I found that I’m much happier working in farming than not. So, I moved back into the family business and over the last five years, I’ve been production manager at Loddington. When the chance to be farm manager for Highland Court Estate came up it was something I was really keen to pursue.'

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