Harper Adams University College is delighted to announce that the new chairman of its Board of Governors is Staffordshire farmer Roger Mercer.  Mr Mercer took on the role from his position as Vice Chairman at the end of 2011.
 

Mr Mercer, a highly respected figure in the farming industry, is an alumnus of Harper Adams. Upon completion of his studies, he started working on his home farm, initially on the arable side, before moving into dairy and pig production.

He now runs Mercer Farming Limited, a 5,500 acre farm business based primarily in Staffordshire, focused on arable and pig production together with rural offices and storage. He also farms in New South Wales, Australia and has agricultural interests in Eastern Europe.  He is a Nuffield Scholar, where he studied pig and potato production in North America.  His other business interests include property management, farm management consultancy and meat marketing.
 

In addition to the farming and property development side of the business, Mr Mercer is a director and advisor of several other businesses and is a past chairman of the trustees of Lichfield Cathedral.
 

Mr Mercer said: "I am very honoured to be taking over this role and am excited by the opportunities ahead. I am a passionate believer in education because the rewards are enormous for both the individual and the business in which they are involved. There is no finer investment that a person can make in their life. Agriculture is a great place to be and a good education will help make the best of the opportunities agriculture has to offer. I am therefore delighted to be able to help Harper Adams continue its successful role in this vital area"
 

Harper Adams Principal Dr David Llewellyn added: "Roger Mercer has a wealth of direct experience in the agri-food sector that is of considerable benefit to our higher education provision and applied research activities.  Roger has been actively engaged in the work of our Governing Body over the last few years, and we are delighted that he will be stepping into the role of Chairman as we embark on a number of new initiatives that will strengthen our connections with industry and that will continue to build upon the high quality education we provide for our students."
 

Roger Mercer succeeds Alison Blackburn OBE as Chairman of the Board of Governors, following her retirement from the Board in November 2011.