As a former agronomist myself, I am
sometimes frustrated at how agronomists and advisors can be
perceived by the rest of the industry. In my experience, apart
from the odd complaint about cost, most growers value
appropriate agronomy. I’ve heard many reasons for this over
the years, from the fact that agronomists are often able to
crop walk a much larger area on a more regular basis than
the grower themselves, to the fact that they keep up-to-date
on the latest technical developments, translating science into
practical advice, or bring an independent and outside
perspective to the farms’ operations.
All of these are good reasons to employ agronomists. It is
important though to understand the relationship you have
with them. Some are truly independent, paid directly by the
farm business to provide certain services and types of advice;
others may be employed by chemical manufacturers, suppliers
or even customers. In nearly all cases their main consideration
will be in helping the grower to produce the best crop,
although there may be different nuances in how to achieve
this depending on their employer.
At one high profile conference last year the agronomists in
the audience were rightly puzzled to witness a discussion
between farmers and scientists which lamented the fact that
there was no communication between the two, and no way
in which scientific findings could be turned into practical
advice for growers.
It was therefore heartening to hear AHDB Potatoes say how
much it values the role of agronomists in getting its messages
and science out to growers. While there is an obvious benefit
for the AHDB, which clearly hopes that the more growers
realise howmuch R&D they are utilising has been funded and
promoted by the levy board, either directly or indirectly, there
should also be benefits for both growers and agronomists.
The fact that AHDB seems to be going out of its way to learn
what agronomists want from it, and how it can provide them
with relevant information, can only be a positive step in
bringing the latest science onto more and more farms.
There may be a few growers who will ask why, as a grower-
funded levy board, AHDB wants to help advisors who are
already well paid for their services, but if the whole industry
can promote the same advances without conflicts of interest,
there should be real benefits for all, including cost savings
and an improvement in returns.
CONTENTS
NewHorticulture Strategy
..............................................................
4
New Potato Strategy
..........................................................................
6
Seed treatments
..........................................................................................
8
ResearchDiary
.....................................................................................
12
LAMMA Preview
.................................................................................
14
Potato conference
.............................................................................
20
Parsnip trials
.........................................................................................
22
Syngenta Dutch trials
...............................................................................
25
Farming seminar
................................................................................
27
Rob Clayton interview
....................................................................
30
Pop VriendDutch trials
..................................................................
32
Renewable energy
.............................................................................
34
New broccoli harvester
..................................................................
35
EIMA Show review
............................................................................
36
Classified
..................................................................................................
38
Buyers Guide
...................................................................................................
39
3
OPINION
THE
VEGETABLE
FARMER •
JANUARY 2017
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