Joe Howe and Will Brundle have gained well-deserved promotions, taking on area sales manager roles in the South and North Anglia teams respectively.

Key among Joe and Will’s new responsibilities is looking after their agronomy teams to ensure they have the technical and commercial support to deliver dependable, value-led advice to growers.

“Farming is having a tough time at the moment and we need to help our growers overcome the challenges to make the most of their businesses,” says Will. “Developing existing and new customer relationships will be key in that regard and will ultimately help us build strategic growth for our regions.”

Both men are committed to Agrovista’s ethos of putting the customer first. “Doing the right thing for our growers while trying to make a profit is a tricky balance,” says Joe. “We are not overly commercial as a business, we never try to push product or upsell, and we will continue to do what we do for the right reasons.

“Much of our business involves family farms and we are committed to help them make the best of what they face.”

Good opportunities exist for those farmers who are willing to adapt, says Will. “Agrovista’s technical back up is second to none in the country, and we can call on other colleagues across the wider business where more in-depth advice might be required, such as soil health, precision and rural consultancy.

“That expertise, together with the inside knowledge of many of our customers’ businesses, means we are well qualified helping farmers recognise the opportunities and how they might best exploit them. I think Agrovista is unique in that respect, and we will be looking to build on it.”

Larger farm businesses are also high priority. “We have some excellent relationships with larger farm businesses that have grown in prominence in recent years,“ says Joe.

“They may not want the full agronomy input but we can still fulfil a valuable service role in offering the right products at the right price. We have to back that up with well-managed infrastructure that ensures those products are on farm when they are needed.”

Both Joe and Will also help oversee stock in their local depots, Fenstanton and Ellingham respectively. They will also continue in their agronomy roles alongside their new responsibilities.

Joe joined Agrovista seven years ago after a career in farm management. His business stretches from his base near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk into the neighbouring counties of Essex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.

Will has been with Agrovista for just over nine years and in that time has developed a network of farmer customers across south Norfolk. Before that he gained a degree in agriculture at Writtle College and worked as a trainee farm manager.

“Business across East Anglia has increased in recent years and some colleagues will soon be retiring, so we are now on the lookout for new recruits,” he says.

How they fit into the team is as important as their expertise. “It will be a challenge finding people to take over business the way we want it done,” says Joe. “But it will be well worth doing – strong teams deliver the best outcome for growers and will build on the gains we have made in the business in recent years.”