Agrovista has expanded its Rural Consultancy department with the appointment of Yorkshire-based Ben Sutcliffe, who will advise farmers across the county on rural policy developments and on-farm implementation.

Ben currently helps farmers navigate the Sustainable Farming Incentive and will provide advice on other relevant grants and schemes as demand increases.

Growing up on a mixed family farm in South Yorkshire gave Ben a solid grounding in practical agriculture. He then spent a year on a sheep and arable farm in Western Australia before returning to Yorkshire, where he became a self-employed agricultural contractor working across a wide range of farming businesses.

He gained a BSc in Agriculture at Bishop Burton College during this period, before joining vegetable equipment specialist Haith as a national sales engineer.

He returned to the 440ha family farm for three years, managing the arable side and then implementing whole-farm SFI actions.

Ben has been building his client base since he started with Agrovista in the spring, working with agronomist colleagues who notify him of farmer customers requiring guidance on the constantly expanding number of actions available under SFI.

“Working alongside established agronomists, who know the lie of the land as well as anyone, in addition to the farmers themselves gives us a unique insight into their farm business,” says Ben.

“Our overall aim is to keep as much land in production whilst tailoring the most suitable SFI actions to each individual business. And, importantly, once we’ve walked the farm and discussed suitable options, it leaves farmers to crack on with the farming while we do the rest.

“Having experienced SFI as part of a farming business, I have no doubt this is the right approach. I look forward to helping farmers make best use of England’s evolving rural policy programme whilst maintaining a profitable farming base to ensure their long-term viability.”