Agrovista Precision appoints new specialists to meet increasing demand

Agrovista has announced the appointment of two new precision farming specialists to help meet increasing demand from customers across the country.

Scot Mitchell and Victoria Kennerley-Bevan will cover Scotland and western England respectively, helping farmers to make informed precision farming decisions based on the collection and interpretation of clear data, backed up by expert agronomist knowledge.

Agrovista Precision manager Graeme Barrett, says: “We have seen a sharp increase in the number of farmers wanting to use our services and we expect this will increase further.”

GPS soil mapping is in particular demand. “Many farmers are seeking to improve their soil knowledge and management, and there are also opportunities to secure new funding streams as various soil initiatives are introduced within the farming support schemes being rolled out across the UK,” says Graeme.

“I am therefore very pleased to welcome Victoria and Scot to the team. Both come with excellent recommendations– they are committed to the precision farming philosophy and appreciate its enormous potential on UK farms.

“They will be valuable additions to the team and I look forward to working with them.”

Agrovista has also recently appointed two full-time soil samplers, Paul Blackwood in the Borders and Matt Dobson in Yorkshire. Joel Ouellette has been appointed as a GIS data analyst.

As well as its soil expertise, Agrovista Precision offers yield data analysis, variable rate seed mapping, variable rate nitrogen application and field variation mapping.

“Following these appointments, we are confident we can cover our significant growth forecasts for the business over the next two to three years,” says Graeme.

Scot Mitchell joined Agrovista in June and will be based in The Borders, looking after farmer customers across Scotland.

He has worked on several farms, starting out with harvest work and tractor driving, before starting college aged 23 where he obtained a National Certificate in Agriculture.

He has since worked for a large East Lothian-based agricultural contractor before moving to Bielgrange, a 550ha mixed farm near Dunbar, where he worked for six years.

“Bielgrange really made a difference,” says Scot. “It’s a forward-thinking farm, which challenged my skill set, but I’ve always wanted to push boundaries.

“That’s what attracted me to Agrovista,” he adds. “Precision farming and everything it involves is going to become the norm, driven by economic need, the switch to more sustainable ways of farming and securing scheme funding.

“Everything is getting more technical, but costs going up – farmers want practical solutions that are cost effective. I’m really looking forward to helping them on that journey – we are all going to have to keep learning to stay ahead of the game.”

Victoria Kennerley-Bevan started at Agrovista in September, and will be covering the West and South West of England from her home in north Shropshire.

She grew up on her father’s beef and dairy farm in the area. She has a degree in countryside management from Reaseheath College in Cheshire, and now lives on her husband’s family farm.

For the past five years she also worked for a regional agricultural machinery firm managing the warranty department. “I then decided I wanted a new challenge, that wasn’t purely desk-based, something that would give me job satisfaction and qualification as well,” says Victoria.

“I’ve been interested in the precision side of things for a while – I picked up some knowledge in my previous job, and I can relate it to the crops we grow on the farm – it all makes perfect sense.

“I’m really looking forward to working with growers and agronomists. We all think we know our fields and soils, but GPS imagery can provide so much detailed information, which, with the correct interpretation and advice, can really help growers even up and improve their crop yields and returns.”