People Powered Profile: Charlie Steer

With more than 15 years at Grosvenor, Charlie Steer has built a career spanning estate management, bovine genetics, engineering, farming and now the development of Grosvenor Farms’ anaerobic digester and biogas upgrading facility.

In Astute’s latest People Powered Profile, Charlie discusses his career journey, what has kept him at Grosvenor, the culture that has allowed him to develop, and the opportunity presented by the new AD Plant Manager role.

Tell us about your career journey and how you came to join Grosvenor Farms.

I joined Grosvenor in 2010 as a pilot for a graduate development scheme, I started at the estate office at Eaton, working in Estate Management and looking at retrofitting heritage properties with energy-efficiency measures.

That included things like secondary glazing and wall insulation, with the work targeted at helping some of the most vulnerable people on the estate, including young families on low incomes, over-65s and people with disabilities or additional needs.

After about eight months, I moved to Cogent Breeding, which was a bovine genetics business that Grosvenor founded to help improve herd productivity, animal health, and environmental sustainability.

I initially worked in sales, selling cattle semen, as glamorous as that sounds, before moving into projects.

Another colleague and I set up the concept of a veterinary technician element, making use of the existing network of people travelling around the country delivering semen and liquid nitrogen to provide additional services and products to farmers.

That eventually developed into a full technician service for farms.

After that, I moved across to Grosvenor Farms and got back to being hands-on – on the tractors, in the workshop and milking cows.

I come from a farming family, but I’ve also had exposure to engineering and estate management.

My dad had an engineering business that manufactured and sold firefighting equipment, my mum has her own business as a rural estate manager looking at environmental work, and the farm was something we did as a family with us all working on it evening and weekends.

So, there were always conversations around the kitchen table about farming, engineering, environmental issues and business.

As things turned out, I found that all of those kitchen table conversations became a really good grounding for what we are doing at Grosvenor now.

I eventually became involved in the construction of a new dairy unit in 2012, whilst gaining more experience at Grosvenor Farms.

Then, in 2014, the two managers running the dairy and arable enterprises, with near 90 years’ experience between them retired. At around the same time, Dave Craven, Dairy and Infrastructure Manager at Grosvenor Farms, and I took over our respective operational roles.

Dave looks after the livestock side, while I look after land-based side of the business, broadly speaking. My responsibilities also cover things such as cropping, labour, machinery and infrastructure.

In 2019 I was fortunate enough to get a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, which is set up to allow scholars to travel the world to look at a chosen topic. Mine was the circular farm, looking at how a circular economy can develop around agriculture. Since the scholarship I’ve increasingly taken ownership of the circular farming strategy and ultimately the development of the AD plant.

What has kept you at Grosvenor for more than 15 years?

The most exciting thing is that my job has never been the same for very long.

I like to see things change, improve and develop.

From the moment I’ve had any sort of responsibility, the business has had the confidence in me to understand how the system works and what I could do to improve it – and then, importantly, it has backed me to implement those changes.

Dave and I have been in a great position because, in a lot of businesses, people can have great experiences and great ideas, but the capital isn’t there to do them.

At Grosvenor Farms, we’ve been given the space to go out and find good ideas and develop our own expertise, but we’ve also had the support to deliver those projects.

As long as we’ve done our homework and due diligence properly, everything we’ve done has added to the confidence the business has in us.

For me, it’s not all about financial progression. It’s about being able to inspire positive change and deliver things that are bigger than me.

I never really go looking for recognition, but when you speak to people in the industry and they tell you they’ve been to the farm and think the things we’re doing are fantastic, you get those rare moments of reflection where you think, actually, we’re doing some pretty interesting things.

There aren’t many places where you have the opportunity to do all the things we’re doing now, at this scale, with the backing of senior executives and the board.

I would not still be here if I wasn’t finding it challenging and interesting.

The fact that the business is evolving with me, and I don’t feel like anything is too stagnant or stale, speaks volumes.

What is driving Grosvenor Farms’ investment in the anaerobic digester and biogas upgrading facility?

Taking a long-term view has always been part of Grosvenor’s approach. We’re focused on running successful businesses today, but also on leaving the land, environment and communities we work in in a better position for future generations.

Sustainability has been a big focus for us in recent years. Across Grosvenor there’s a commitment to reducing emissions and playing our part in addressing climate change, and at Grosvenor Farms that’s something we’ve been working towards for a long time through regenerative agriculture and circular farming.

We’ve already built one of the lowest-carbon milk production systems in the UK, and the investment in an anaerobic digester and integrated biogas upgrading facility is really the next step in that journey. Rather than seeing agricultural by-products as waste, we’re turning them into a valuable resource that can produce renewable energy and help reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

The facility will convert agricultural waste into biomethane, which will be injected into the National Grid, supplying enough renewable gas to heat around 6,000 homes each year. At the same time, it will produce a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser that can be used on the farm, helping to improve soil health and reduce our reliance on manufactured fertilisers.

What excites me most about the project is that it brings together commercial resilience and environmental benefit. It’s a practical example of circular farming in action, where resources are used more efficiently and value is created from materials that might otherwise be discarded.

It’s also been a long journey to get here. We’ve spent several years working through planning, funding, technical design and delivery challenges, so it’s incredibly rewarding to now see the facility taking shape and becoming a reality.

What excites you about the anaerobic digester and integrated biogas upgrading facility and its place in Grosvenor’s future?

The AD plant really completes the circular farming model we’re trying to create.

A lot of people talk about regenerative agriculture, but we’re very focused on the circular economy and how that works on farms.

Ultimately, we want to maximise output with minimal input – in its simplest form, I’d say we want as many wagons leaving the farm as possible and as few coming onto it.

The AD plant fits right into the sweet spot of that. It starts to complete our ability to be genuinely circular.

Can we reduce emissions or losses by capturing CO₂ and methane and turning them into revenue streams?

Can we limit the amount of fertiliser coming onto the farm? We’re already self-sufficient in phosphate and potassium, two of the three micronutrients that make up typical farm fertiliser. We haven’t bought any in for 10 years.

Can we produce our own fuel that we can use to run our farming operations and the AD plant?

If we can tick all of those boxes, it becomes a real cornerstone of the way we’ll run the business going forward.

It’s also important that the digester isn’t simply another standalone operation. It fits between the livestock, the storage of the manure and the way we apply it to the land.

All of those systems are already in place. We’ve essentially added the process that allows us to make the most of what was previously a waste stream.

Following our investment in the AD facility, we believe we will be input independent.

That’s why it fits so well into the circular farming picture.

What makes the AD Plant Manager opportunity different from managing a standalone AD facility?

The first thing is that it’s a brand-new facility.

It’s been designed around this circular economy approach and, technically, it’s been designed with significant capacity and growth potential.

The successful Plant Manager will also have the opportunity to build their own team.

They’re going to be the first hire and will have around 12 months before they’re managing the operational plant, so they’ll be involved in the majority of the process from the outset.

They’ll be able to develop their own team, procedures and processes.

Physically, it’s a blank canvas for someone to make their own.

We’re looking for someone who relishes that challenge – someone who perhaps hasn’t had that level of influence in their current role and can come in and say, “Have you thought about this? This is what my team needs to look like.”

They’ll need to be able to manage their own budgets, time and team.

For someone who is self-motivated, looking for a new challenge and wants to start with a completely clean sheet, it’s a unique opportunity.

Another thing that makes it different is that we’re largely in control of our own destiny when it comes to feedstock and digestate.

We already have an in-house team managing the spreading and slurry operation, which will become digestate management.

Around 72% of the feedstock is coming from manure from our own farms, so there isn’t the same aggravation of having to deal with hundreds of different farmers to bring feedstock in.

You’ve got a very consistent source of feedstock, 365 days a year, managed by people who are working towards the same goals as the Plant Manager.

Because of how the plant fits into the circular economy and the wider farm, it is intrinsically part of the farming business.

Whoever manages the plant will be treated as part of that business and given the support they need to make it a success.

What kind of person do you think will thrive in the AD Plant Manager role?

The technical ability to start up an AD plant and maintain consistent performance is going to be key.

The core responsibility has to be delivering the plant in line with its budgeted performance, both in terms of gas yield and financially.

A lot of the things that can make that difficult, particularly around feedstock and digestate, are already taken care of here.

So, the focus can really be on making the plant perform consistently.

There is also an opportunity for someone with a growth mindset.

We’re looking at opportunities around biomethane refuelling, fertiliser production and making more of the carbon dioxide revenues, potentially through CCS or other processes, as well as areas such as sustainable aviation fuel.

There’s loads of stuff out there to go after.

The Plant Manager’s core role will be making the plant work practically and safely by managing the team around it, but there will also be an opportunity to help develop the business.

How would you describe the culture at Grosvenor Farms?

One of the things I value most about Grosvenor is that it’s a values-led organisation. There’s a genuine focus on integrity, trust and respect, and a shared purpose of creating lasting commercial, social and environmental benefit.

What stands out to me is that those values aren’t just words on a wall or in a presentation. You see them reflected in the way the business operates day to day and in the way people work with one another.

There’s a high degree of trust here. People are given the freedom and responsibility to take ownership, develop ideas and make things happen, while knowing they have the support of their colleagues. For me, that’s one of the reasons Grosvenor is such a rewarding place to work

Why would you recommend Grosvenor Farms as somewhere to build a career?

What makes Grosvenor different is the breadth of opportunities available. We’re a diverse business, with interests spanning rural estates, farming, food and agtech, property and philanthropy, so people can build really varied and rewarding careers.

At Grosvenor Farms, we have more than 70 colleagues working across a wide range of roles, from animal care and dairy operations through to conservation, sustainability, finance and maintenance.

We’re proud of the environment we’ve created. Whether someone joins us as an apprentice, an experienced professional or as part of the harvest team, we want them to feel valued, supported and encouraged to develop. We believe in giving people the opportunity to take on new challenges and realise their potential.

I’ve not worked for a huge number of organisations, so I’m probably not the best person to make direct comparisons. But when you speak to people in other businesses and compare experiences, you do realise how fortunate we are.

There’s a genuine sense of purpose here, a long-term outlook, and a commitment to doing things the right way. Those are things people really value, and they’re a big part of what makes Grosvenor such a special place to work.

What does the future look like for someone joining Grosvenor now?

For me, the biggest thing is having the space to develop.

I don’t think everyone needs to be like me – but it’s important that people have the opportunity to develop and that the business evolves with them.

That’s what has kept me here for 15 years.

I’ve been able to move between completely different parts of the organisation, take on new responsibilities, develop my expertise and now be involved in something as significant as the Green Gas facility.

The opportunity for the next person joining is to come into that same environment, bring their own experience and help shape what happens next.

Find Out More About the AD Plant Manager Role

If this sounds like the challenge you’ve been looking for, find out more about the AD Plant Manager role by getting in touch with Tim Norford at Astute People, or browse our current anaerobic digestion vacancies to apply.