Agrovista has strengthened its West Midlands agronomy team with the appointment of Will Hammond, who will offer tailored crop production advice and agricultural policy guidance to customers across the south and west of the region.

Will specialises in cereals, roots and combinable break crops, with a particular interest in sustainable soil nutrient planning.

Coming from a farming background, Will studied crop production at Moreton Morrell Agricultural College before gaining a degree in agriculture at Reading University, where he focused on agronomy. 

His practical experience includes working on an extensive arable farm in Canada before university, general farm work and employment with a large agricultural contractor.

More recently, Will worked as an agricultural specialist for a nationwide agricultural supplier and as a farm liaison officer for a biosolids recycling company before moving into agronomy with a small family-run distributor.

Will started with Agrovista in August and is looking forward to developing his career with one of the most innovative crop production companies in the business.

“Agriculture is facing unprecedented challenges,” he says. “We can no longer rely on plant protection products for all the answers and we have to help crops look after themselves to unlock their full potential. Many conversations on farm are oriented around soil and plant health and we need to be offering appropriate advice.

“The work Agrovista carries out at its Lamport AgX site, including companion cropping, cover cropping, cultivation techniques and soil health improvements, helps hugely in this respect. It gives us agronomists and our customers the chance to see these novel practices first hand and to select those that suit particular farms, which, together with more personal agronomy advice, will help drive profitability.

“I am also committed to providing SFI advice, aiming to advise growers on the suitability of alterative revenue streams available through different options, helping their businesses to thrive and cope with ongoing uncertainty.”

Agrovista’s commitment to continued professional development will provide valuable support, says Will. “From a personal perspective this will really help my career development and ensure I am always able provide sound technical advice to growers across all aspects of agronomy amid ongoing policy changes.”

Regional manager Matthew Dennick says: “Will has already proved himself as a very capable agronomist, and we are very pleased to have him as a member of the Evesham team.

“He has a good grounding in conventional agronomy which, coupled with his enthusiasm and passion, will be invaluable in helping us manage the challenges the sector faces and in meeting the changing needs of our growers.”