Why Alex would be an effective mentor
- Alex is a first-generation new entrant without a farm! Instead, he has built a thriving land-based business from scratch which gives him a unique perspective on what it takes to make things work both practically and financially in the real commercial world.
- As founder and director of Grazing Management Ltd, a bespoke contract conservation business, Alex has turned his passion for conservation and livestock into an award-winning company that now manages over 500 acres across 25 sites in Wales and England, from wildflower meadows and cliff tops to peatlands and floodplains.
- Alex has worked with organisations including Natural Resources Wales and the Isles of Scilly Landscape Recovery Fund, helping bring farmers together to restore habitats and make grazing systems viable and sustainable. Choose him as your mentor and expect to be both inspired and informed by this highly respected conservation expert who has many years of experience.
- Alex’s wide-ranging experience of working with farms across different sectors has given him a clear understanding of the realities of running a farm business, the tight margins, the pressure to innovate, and the need to stay financially sustainable. His mentoring approach is hands-on, informative and practical. Whether it’s fine-tuning grazing plans, measuring labour input, or using data to make better decisions, Alex’s mission is to help farmers identify smart, profitable ways to work with nature, not against it.
- A background within the military and diplomatic service means that Alex is a natural communicator. You’ll find him a good listener, and having trained in mentoring and coaching, he knows how to ask the right questions to help you find your own solutions.
- Alex also enjoys sharing his knowledge with the wider industry. You might have seen him speaking at Farming Connect events or heard him on podcasts talking about the future of grazing and regenerative farming.
- Currently working towards his Nuffield Scholarship, Alex is investigating innovations in conservation grazing and payments for ecosystem services
- If you’re looking for a mentor who combines business sense, environmental understanding and a practical head for technology, Alex ticks all these boxes.
Current business
- Alex is a Director of Grazing Management Ltd, a bespoke contract conservation grazing business. The concept started in 2017 and has grown steadily since. With his co-director and team, the business now manages conservation grazing across 500 acres split across 25 sites, covering a range of wildflower meadows, peatland, heathland, cliff sites and floodplains for a variety of clients in South Wales and the West of England.
- The business works with a range of traditional breeds of cattle, sheep and goats, focusing on ecological outcomes for the client on a contract basis.
- They extensively use virtual fencing, LoRaWAN and other technologies to create efficient, financially viable approaches to conservation grazing.
Qualifications/achievements/ experience
- 2025 Nuffield Scholar - Innovations in extensive and conservation grazing
- 2025 BBC Food and Farming Awards – Farming for the future category (finalist, results in November)
- 2023 British Farming Awards – New entrant category winner
- 2023 LANTRA Advanced Conservation Grazing
- 2019 National ADAS Pinnacle Award for entrepreneurship in farming
- 2018 Clyde-Higgs scholar on the Graduate Diploma in Agriculture from the Royal Agricultural University – Distinction and Haygarth medal winner
Top tips for business success
“It’s about the people, they are the networks, the opportunities, the support and the growth.”
“Value your time and work out what your £10/hr, £50/hr and £500/hr jobs are.”
“Find your niche, your competitive advantage and how to maximise this – what problem can you solve better than anyone else?”