About Sarah 

Sarah Sparke is an R-SQP working at family-run business J S Hubbuck in Hexham, Northumberland.

She said it felt brilliant to be announced as the winner of the Nutritional Expertise Award.

“It feels like a reward for the work I put in to help our customers to understand their livestock,” she said. “It’s recognition for the job we do.”

Sarah watched the live stream of the National SQP Awards in a virtual room with reps from category sponsor Bimeda, Sarah Fergusson (who was highly commended in the category) and her new Kelpie puppy.

She said: “My two children landed home from school just in time to watch my category being announced. I was given two big cuddles from them for winning.

“I saved my bottle of Prosecco from OvertheCounter for the Friday night after work, which I knew would be hectic due to it being a store mart day here in Hexham.”

Looking at nutrition, Sarah said that with the store selling products from feeds to supplements and POMVPS products, it can offer the customer ‘the full nutritional package’.

Sarah said: “We will look at the soil, forage, concentrates, supplements and POM-VPS products, and it is important to look at the bigger picture and ensure that we offer the best advice for all aspects of the animal’s nutrition, ensuring best practice is at the forefront of each case.

“It is our role to help promote the best way to help get nutrition to balance in the animal. As a business we can help through offering these analysis services to find out the farm status, as knowledge is needed beforehand to help find out the deficiencies and what is needed to help rebalance.”

Sarah said the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge the business has seen since foot and mouth.

“It changed how we deal and give advice to our customers,” Sarah said.“With stock issues in the supply chain and social distancing rules it has altered how we work. It would be nice to go back to the old ways, but I think we need to move forward and find new ways to provide our services to our customers throughout the industry.

“Giving advice isn’t always just about the products; best practice has to come into play.”

Looking ahead, Sarah is hoping that there will be a chance in 2021 for CPD training days to allow her to do more requirements for the Gold SQP Standard.

“I signed up four days before the first lockdown, which has made it hard to fulfil,” she said. “I enjoy the training to refresh my knowledge which helps me offer more help and advice.”

In terms of advice for SQPs entering the National SQP Awards 2021, Sarah said: “Do it – enter and show yourself off; as you fill in the entry form, it helps you realise what you have achieved in your career and the help and advice you offer your customers on a daily basis.

“Thank you to the judges and sponsors and the team at OvertheCounter for organising such a wonderful event for our industry.”