The Melplash Agricultural Society is pleased to announce that their 2025 President will be John Bugler.
John Bugler is the Managing Director of Francis Buglers Ltd (affectionately known locally as Buglers) a family agricultural engineering business that was established in 1851 by Robert Bugler, a wheelwright in Beaminster. John (the 5th generation) joined the family business some 50 years ago and became Managing Director, taking over from his father Ralph Bugler in 1990. Buglers now has 4 branches: Beaminster, Axminster, Marston Magna and Bere Regis, and employs 50 people.
John has lived in Beaminster all his life. He was educated at Beaminster Primary and Secondary Schools and spent some time at Bournemouth College. He is a keen sportsman and has played football and cricket for Beaminster, football for Bridport, and as a player for Bournemouth Youth Football was coached by Harry Rednapp! He enjoys fishing and is an enthusiastic guitar player. John is married to Jo and has four children, Will, Robert, James and Lucy.
The new President, John Bugler, highlights the importance of farming and the Society to our community,
“Both as a family and as a local business we have always had close ties with the farming community and their showcase, the Melplash Show. Buglers have attended the show every year, as far I know, since the business started in Beaminster in 1851. My father, Ralph Bugler, was President of the Society in 1986, and we have also been long term sponsors of the Society’s education programme – Discover Farming.
I feel very privileged to be the President of the Melplash Agricultural Society in 2025 at a time when farming needs, more than ever, the support of the community. Recent events such as COVID and the Ukraine war have emphasised how important and essential farming and local food production is to us all, but many family farmers are now questioning their farming future due to the proposed changes to the farm inheritance tax. As a business like many others in the area, we are reliant upon a thriving farming community, so I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to help support and promote the work of our local farmers, and to contribute to the work and continued success of the Agricultural Society”.
