Meet Bob Turner
Bob Turner is Dengie's Field & Drying Operations Manager and so is responsible for overseeing the harvest of over 5000 acres of alfalfa grown in and around the Dengie peninsula in Essex.
Bob oversees Dengie's alfalfa from the minute it is sown and works closely with Dengie's agronomist Charles Malone and Dengie's farmers who grow the alfalfa. Harvest usually starts at the end of April or early May depending on the spring weather, and continues through to October. In that time, Bob and his team of 25 staff harvest each field 3 times in a season – this means they cover 15000 acres each year - with around 7 weeks between each cut.
Once harvested the alfalfa is left to wilt for a short period of time before being collected and returned to the manufacturing site where the high temperature drying process occurs. Once dried, the alfalfa is made into big bales which are then stored before being broken down for use in the finished product.
Bob really enjoys his job and has worked with Dengie for over 20 years and so has amassed lots of experience of working with alfalfa! Bob says that the best part of his job is working outside, especially given the beautiful countryside of the Dengie peninsula. Bob also loves the working relationship with the Dengie farmer growers and the local community who are often interested to see the team at work. The most difficult part of the job though, is dealing with the weather which has been particularly difficult for the last couple of harvest seasons and is one part of the job which he has no control over!
Outside of work Bob has a range of hobbies and interests and although he doesn't ride himself, his daughter used to. Bob prefers to follow a variety of sports and in his younger days he played football for many years for his local village team. Now Bob's main passion is getting out and about on his Harley Davidson motorbike!
To go behind the scenes at Dengie Click Here to read our From Field to Feed feature.
