Growing up, Toni Bagguley would occasionally join her father at the weekends on farm, sitting in the tractor while he fed the pigs, but the plan from a young age was always for her to be a lawyer.
“The summer before I went to Lincoln University to study law, I had two months of working on the farm,” the 2024 National Pig Awards Trainee of the Year said.
“At that point, I wouldn’t say I fell in love with the pig industry, but I really enjoyed it. I then started my degree and, slowly but surely, thought I’d made a mistake.
“I knew I loved nature, and I knew I loved being outdoors. Working in the pig industry was not something I had ever considered, but that summer kind of changed it for me.”
Toni dropped out of Lincoln University after three months, and applied the following day to Harper Adams University (HAU) to study agriculture.
She was accepted, but needed to wait until the next academic year, so she worked on the farm her dad managed to gain experience in the meantime.
“I studied straight agriculture to keep it broad, as I’d already changed my mind once. But after my first year, that’s when my love and passion for the pig industry and farming pigs really solidified,” she said.
“Before I went to Harper, I worked on the farm every day and I got to see how the animals behave. I was involved in all areas of the farm, from service to weaning. It’s hard work, but I just fell in love with it.”
She loves, in particular, being around the farrowing. “For me, working in the farrowing unit keeps you on your toes. There is lots to do and it’s nice to see the maternal instincts in the sows and how innate it is for them,” she said.
Work placement
Reinforcing her passion for pigs, training has been key to her progress so far. For her HAU placement, Toni worked for 13 months with BQP-Pilgrim’s Europe’s breeding team.
“I really appreciated the opportunities I had during the placement. I really wanted to get into this industry, and Pilgrim’s Europe gave me the opportunity to do so.
“I did so much in that time. I went to the European Pig Producers Congress in Spain to learn about Spanish pig production. I attended Ladies in Pigs events – it was nice meeting all the ladies and building those connections. I also joined Young NPA and went to all the regional meetings.”
At the end of her placement year, the company offered her a job and a place on its graduate trainee programme, which she accepted, before heading back to HAU to complete her degree in June.
Career development
Toni is now more than six months into the 18-month graduate training programme.
“It’s brilliant and Pilgrim’s Europe has given me plenty of opportunities,” she said. “It’s now more centred around becoming a good fieldsperson, including the day-to-day communication, advising on farm practices, and helping out farmers, alongside the management aspect of the scheme.
“I’ve also been on many courses around resilience, about looking after yourself so you can show up to work and be your very best. It’s not all just about production; it’s about looking after yourself so you can look after a team.”
Recently, Toni took part in a workshop on public speaking, which she modestly conceded is not her forte – although she has agreed to appear on the Young Guns panel at the Pigs Tomorrow Conference in May.
“I’ve also done the Agri Grow courses, including modules on communication and leadership,” she said. “Eventually, when I do have direct reports, I’d like to think I’ve got enough information to give it a good shot.”
The next sections of the graduate trainee programme include finishing and multiplication. “I’ll be going around with the finishing team, doing bits for them and, hopefully, solidifying my knowledge on the finishing side of pig production,” Toni said.
“I’ll be ending the programme with six months focusing on our multiplication pyramid and doing work there, which is something I do find quite interesting because, obviously, that’s where it all starts. I aspire to be good at what I do.”
She stressed that learning is a key part for her, as she likes to keep pushing herself, while also being happy in what she does.
Engaging with farmers
Toni primarily covers Norfolk at the moment, looking after five outdoor units. As part of her role she visits farms to help farmers out and give advice, if needed. She also takes the learnings from what that farm is doing back to the team.
“If we can share those learnings with other farms that may be struggling in certain areas or may just need to try something slightly different, we can pass that knowledge on,” she said.
“One of the reasons I used to love working on the farm is that every day was different; it kept me on my toes. I really like this job, because it’s never the same.
“One day I’m helping to evaluate sow body condition, another day I’m on a vet visit. The next I’ll just be doing a normal working visit, chatting to the farmer, catching up or doing a bit of trial work.”
Being on the graduate scheme also gives her vital insight into different parts of the production stages, including abattoirs and feed mills.
Industry recruitment
Toni acknowledged that agriculture struggles with recruitment as a whole compared with other industries. “As we continue to grow the pig industry, and the older generation retire, this struggle will only become worse,” she said.
“It comes back to educating people on how exciting the industry is, as well as ensuring work environments are enjoyable and pleasant. I think it’s also important to accept that people can get paid the same for easier roles and as an industry we have to make sure wages are keeping up, where possible.
“This will become part of the struggle, because some pig businesses will not be able to match certain wages elsewhere.”
Toni believes that passion for the pig industry can be easily rubbed off on others. “Everyone I know from university who completed a pig-based placement, originally from a different industry, has now gone back into pigs or is hoping to,” she added.
Ladies in Pigs
Ladies in Pigs is already working hard to educate and inspire. “It aims to educate people on pig farming and what we do, not just for agricultural people, but for absolutely everyone,” Toni added.
“It’s also about the importance of looking after yourself in regards to a decent diet. I’m very passionate about eating healthily and looking after your health – and it all comes from an appreciation of where food comes from. I believe that within the agriculture industries, we just need to shout a bit more.
“I’m on the Ladies in Pigs executive board, and it was an honour to be invited on to it. The ladies are lovely, and we are hoping to expand further across the UK so we can cover more shows and do more school visits,” she added.
Looking ahead, she feels extremely lucky to be in the position she is in. “I do feel proud, purely because I have so many people around me saying I should be proud that I’m doing great,” said Toni, adding that the award gave her a huge boost.
“I’ve got a very supportive family, very supportive co-workers, and a very supportive industry around me.”
