The former chief executive of ANM Group, Brian Pack, who died earlier this week, was a hugely inspirational figure in Scottish agriculture whose influence percolated right through the farming industry.
Tributes have been flowing in from politicians and industry leaders but just as important to him would have been the tributes from the many ordinary farmers he advised and helped over the years.
A family move to Balloch at the age of nine sparked his love of farming after he started to help with milking on a nearby dairy farm.
All he wanted to do when leaving school was milk cows but a rare problem with a leg, which resulted in long periods off school and dogged him all his life – although he made light of it – ruled out a career in active farming.
But an involvement in farming still beckoned and after gaining a National Diploma in agriculture at the West of Scotland College of Agriculture at Auchincruive, Ayr, he moved to Aberdeen in the early 1970s to take the farm business organisation and management course at the North of Scotland College of Agriculture (now part of SRUC) and his career took off.
He then joined the staff of the college as an investigating officer initially, and then agricultural economist, where his communication skills, engaging personality and business acumen made him a popular and effective lecturer and adviser.
He took a year off in 1974-75 to study for a master’s in agricultural management at Reading University and it was there that he developed the agricultural calculator which transformed the financial management of farms at a time when the industry was facing difficult times.
For many years, he ran a week-long course at Douneside House, Tarland, to teach financial management, supported by Clydesdale Bank, and later other banks, and not only attracted farmers and farm managers but other industry professionals.
However, in 1982, he bid academia adieu to put his theories into practice, joining the late Maitland Mackie at Westertown, Rothienorman, to manage the large-scale farming enterprise and milk processing and delivery business as managing director of Mackie’s Dairies. He is credited with coming up with the idea for ice cream manufacture, now the major part of the Mackie’s business.
He also managed and became a partner in FarmData, a small company set up by Mr Mackie to provide digital financial services to farmers.
Eight years later, in 1990, he was appointed chief executive of the leading farmer’s co-operative, Aberdeen and Northern Marts, now ANM Group, and this is where he really emerged as a major figure and leader in the industry.
Thainstone Centre, near Inverurie, had just opened and he completed a controversial rationalisation programme to close smaller country marts which started before he joined.
He steered the firm through the crisis of BSE and foot-and-mouth disease and the expansion of its meat processing businesses, as well as maintaining profitability and building a healthy balance sheet.
His services to the industry were recognised in 1999 with an OBE and he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Aberdeen University in 2017.
Following his retirement in 2008, it was not a surprise that he was invited by the Scottish Government to prepare a report on future agricultural policy and later one on reducing red tape in the industry. He was disappointed that the recommendations in his last report were never implemented.
Unfortunately, Mr Pack did not enjoy the best of health following his retirement and underwent a major operation three years ago in Edinburgh from which he never fully recovered.
His death on Tuesday morning at the age of 74 was sudden and unexpected and a shock to his many friends in the farming industry.