Following a national recruitment exercise, SAC Consulting’s George Baikie is moving to a new role to manage all farming operations across Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
As the new farm-partnership co-ordinator, George will oversee the use of SRUC’s farms to best support outdoor teaching and academic research as well as commercial activity. He will also manage and develop partnerships with farmers across Scotland to expand the use of partner farms for both research and the teaching of students.
George’s role is part of a focussed strategy from SRUC to maximise both the academic activity on farms and commercial research as part of SRUC’s journey towards becoming a 21st-century enterprise university at the heart of the rural economy.
George will take up his new role from April 2020 but will continue to support colleagues in SAC Consulting for the foreseeable future.
George said: “I am delighted to be offered the chance to act as the advocate for SRUC farms, working with the wider agricultural community to make sure we meet our academic needs as a rural university in waiting.
“I have always been involved in practical farming throughout my years especially with calving and stock husbandry. In my earlier days, I even worked at Craibstone, the site of our Aberdeen campus. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues at SRUC and our stakeholders to deliver the knowledge and talent they need to be successful.”
Colin MacEwan, Director of Commercialisation and Innovation at SRUC, said: “We are extremely lucky to have someone of George’s calibre for this vital role at SRUC. His contacts and experience with clients are hugely valuable as we look to grow our ties with industry.
“Our farms highlight SRUC’s unique platform and as an organisation bringing together natural research, teaching and commercial activity. We want to grow our impact through partnerships and by focussing on what we do best. George will be working with stakeholders to find ways for us to grow the rural economy for everyone, create new knowledge and develop a highly skilled workforce.”
George was born on a farm in Aberdeenshire. He joined SAC Consulting in 1989 and managed the office in Kirkwall from 1999 until 2015, before running the Highland region from there. In recent years, George has been managing SAC Consulting’s regional offices.
SRUC manages six research farms, of over 4400 hectares, to provide research, education and knowledge transfer in dairying, arable, beef, upland/hill sheep systems, pig and poultry farming
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