Stephen Melville

After graduating from Edinburgh University with a BSc (Hons) Agriculture in 1999, employment was achieved at Armstrong Watson in Carlisle where I worked for 9 years as an Agricultural Advisor and became a qualified ICAEW accountant.

 In 2008 I took on the family farm near St Andrews at the same time as taking on employment with Laurence Gould in Dunfermline, where I worked for a further 10 years as a senior Agricultural Advisor covering Scotland and Northern England.

 In 2019 I set up BE Rural Ltd where I work as a self-employed Agricultural Advisor, whilst still running my arable farm, a livery, 4 holiday lodges and a Farmhouse B&B. 

 I advise on all agricultural matters with a focus on preparing environmental scheme applications, assisting with farm diversification projects, setting up and managing Contract Farming Agreements and preparing Farm Reviews for farmers seeking assistance with the future direction of their business.  My accountancy background helps me to provide valuable expertise in analysing and explaining farm accounts to farm and rural business managers.