This episode features Ollie Pemberton, a former infantry platoon commander who now works as a farm manager for Velcourt. After leaving the military, Ollie explored several careers—including teaching mathematics and running a furniture factory in Vietnam—before studying agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University.

A chance encounter with Velcourt at a recruitment fair led him into farm management. Ollie explains that farm managers oversee day‑to‑day operations and long‑term strategy. They may be responsible for arable production, livestock, and estate management, and they lead teams of field workers, agronomists and specialistsnationaltrustjobs.org.uk.

Duties can include planning developments, securing funding, liaising with tenants and landowners, ensuring health and safety, and supervising staff and volunteerssuccessatschool.org. The role requires deep knowledge of rural and conservation issues, strong management and communication skills, numeracy and record‑keepingsuccessatschool.org, and the ability to juggle practical work (such as operating machinery) with finance and people management.

Ollie also discusses agri‑environment schemes and how changing climate and subsidy reforms are reshaping farming. He candidly notes that salaries for farm managers range from £22,000 to £34,000 depending on responsibility and experiencesuccessatschool.org but emphasises that the lifestyle, job satisfaction and community make it worthwhile.

00:00 Intro & series overview – Tom & Jamie set the scene and explain the purpose of the HighGround podcast

.02:01 Meet Ollie – Ollie Pemberton introduces himself and summarises his career in the infantry and subsequent roles.

05:00 Transition & early careers – Ollie describes moving from the Army to teaching, running a furniture factory in Vietnam, and then studying at the Royal Agricultural University.

10:00 Discovering farm management – Ollie meets Velcourt at a recruitment fair, learns about farm management and decides to pursue it.

14:00 What farm managers do – Detailed discussion of a farm manager’s responsibilities (business planning, team leadership, crop management, livestock, estate diversification).

20:00 Transferable skills – The team talk about military skills (leadership, resilience, planning) that help in farm management.

24:00 Estate details & daily work – Ollie talks about managing a 6 500‑acre estate near Aylesbury, with arable crops, shorthorn cattle and sheep.

28:00 Agri‑environment schemes & diversification – Insight into environmental land management, regenerative practices and estate diversification projects.

31:00 Salary, lifestyle & work–life balance – Overview of typical farm‑manager salaries and why lifestyle matters more to many people.

35:00 Advice to service‑leavers – Ollie wraps up with guidance on how to explore farming roles, the importance of volunteering/harvest jobs, and networking.

In this episode of the HighGround podcast, hosts Tom and Jamie talk with Martin, a former RAF supplier who spent much of his 23‑year career in tactical logistics roles and as a fleet manager. Seeking an outdoor career after years behind a desk, Martin began helping on a local farm and rediscovered his love of engineering.

A HighGround Rural Week at Askham Bryan College opened his eyes to the demand for agricultural technicians, and he went on to join a John Deere dealership. Today he is a mobile agricultural technician, travelling across the Cotswolds, Devon and Wales to repair and maintain equipment ranging from chainsaws and ATVs to 6‑Series tractors. The role involves diagnosing faults, dismantling and reassembling machines, performing routine maintenance and keeping recordsbigfuture.collegeboard.org.

Technicians need mechanical, customer‑service and electronics knowledgebigfuture.collegeboard.org and skills in repair, maintenance and troubleshootingbigfuture.collegeboard.org. Martin explains that most dealerships provide structured training; he completed a nine‑month “John Deere University” online programme while shadowing experienced engineers. Starting salaries for agricultural engineering technicians are about £23 000, rising to £38 000 for experienced staff nationalcareers.service.gov.uk, but earnings depend on qualifications and overtime.

He emphasises that ex‑service personnel’s punctuality, organisation, adaptability and ability to work in all weathers are highly valued in this sector.

00:00 Introduction – Tom and Jamie welcome listeners and introduce the HighGround podcast series for service‑leavers.

03:09 Meet Martin – Former RAF supplier explains his military career and decision to transition into agriculture after 23 years.

04:10 Finding the next step – Martin describes helping on a local farm, discovering HighGround via Instagram and attending a rural week where he saw agricultural engineering as a viable career.

07:00 What does an agricultural technician do? – Martin explains his role as a mobile technician: servicing everything from small chainsaws to large John Deere tractors; diagnosing faults; ordering parts; and working alone on farms. Farm equipment mechanics maintain, repair and overhaul tractors, harvesters and irrigation systems and record the work donebigfuture.collegeboard.org.

08:45 Training & qualifications – He outlines the nine‑month John Deere University programme covering mechanics, hydraulics and electronics, and stresses that hands‑on experience and mechanical aptitude are more important than formal qualifications. The National Careers Service notes that entry routes include university, college, apprenticeships...

In this episode, Tom and Jamie talk with Josie, a National Trust countryside manager in North Devon. Josie’s career has been anything but straightforward: she left school after GCSEs, trained as a mechanic and served five years in the REME before embarking on higher education. With life experience but no A‑levels, she contacted universities directly, persuaded them to give her a chance and eventually worked her way up to a PhD.

Burnt out by academia, she turned to nature and began volunteering with the National Trust, living in a tent for six months while supporting herself with part‑time work. That led to an apprenticeship as a ranger and eventually to leadership. In her current role she leads a team of nine across a 2 700‑acre estate, balancing day‑to‑day estate management with large‑scale nature recovery projects.

Countryside managers are responsible for developing and managing landscapes, ensuring public access and conservationsuccessatschool.org; they must coordinate habitat restoration, oversee staff and volunteers, manage budgets and secure fundingsuccessatschool.org.

The National Trust notes that countryside managers provide strategic direction, leading teams to deliver landscape‑scale conservation while ensuring visitors enjoy their experiencenationaltrustjobs.org.uk. Salaries range from around £22 k to £34 ksuccessatschool.org. Josie advises service‑leavers to be persistent, seek volunteering opportunities and remember there are many routes into land‑based careers.

00:00 Introduction & podcast purpose: Tom and Jamie summarise the goal of creating an “evergreen” library of land‑based career stories.

02:50 Meeting Josie: She describes her varied background—from dropping out of school and working as a vehicle mechanic to joining the REME, and later pursuing higher education.

07:00 Choosing university without A‑levels: Josie explains how she negotiated entry to university, earned a psychology degree and later completed a PhD.

11:15 Leaving academia for the outdoors: Burnt out and seeking meaning, Josie emailed the National Trust and secured a volunteer placement, living in a tent and working for free to gain experience.

14:00 Ranger apprenticeship & career progression: Josie undertook the National Trust’s three‑year ranger apprenticeship, learning practical skills such as hedge‑laying, fencing and path maintenance. She later became an area ranger, managing conservation grazing and livestock.

17:45 Countryside manager role: Josie now leads a team of nine across a 2 700‑acre estate. Countryside managers are responsible for day‑to‑day estate management and the strategic delivery of landscape‑scale conservationnationaltrustjobs.org.uk. They oversee habitat restoration, monitor woodland safety, manage access, and engage visitors, whilst also ensuring...