Young Farmer Focus: Sarah Ferguson – ‘The industry has provided me with a great support network and employment opportunities’

Growing up: I was brought up in a very rural part of Dumfries and Galloway in South West Scotland on a dairy farm near the village of Sorbie.

When I was due to leave secondary school, I was a bit unsure of what I wanted to do. I loved the countryside and helping out at home, but with two brothers also heading for careers on the family farm I had to find something else.

Administration and business studies were my strongest subjects at school so I headed off to Glasgow for a course at College. City life was fine for a short time but I was still a country girl at heart.

On leaving college I had a couple of jobs in an office but I never felt that was where I wanted to be.

Career: A store assistant job came up with the local Agricultural Merchant, Tarff Valley - I applied and was offered the job.

I have now found a job that fulfills my ambitions – to be working within the agricultural industry dealing with farmers.

Through in-house training with Tarff I have worked in a variety of their stores and I now hold the position of store manager at their Whauphill branch.

It has its challenges but no two days are ever the same. At Whauphill we do a variety of jobs selling agricultural supplies, animal health products, dairy chemicals, household goods as well as mixing blends and bagged feeding for farmers.