AHDB has issued a call for growers and agronomists to join its influential crop committees, which play a vital role in the recommendation of cereal and oilseed varieties for the UK.

With five positions vacant, the RL team is on a major recruitment drive this winter to secure enthusiastic and committed people to help lead the independent and cutting-edge crop variety trials.

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The five vacancies are:

• Wheat Crop Committee – two grower vacancies and one agronomist vacancy
• Barley and Oats and Other Cereals Crop Committee – one grower vacancy
• Oilseeds Crop Committee – one agronomist vacancy

Paul Gosling, who leads the RL at AHDB, said: “It is a challenging time for the agricultural industry. Our crop committees have never been so important, helping the trial and recommendation system navigate and adapt to change.

“Those who get involved gain a greater insight into the variety development process. Ultimately, they help steer the direction of the RL – helping to select varieties that work for them and for the entire industry.”

The role of the crop committees is to:

• Agree agronomic and quality definitions for varietal recommendation
• Select candidate varieties for trial
• Propose new varieties to add to the RL

Committee members meet three times a year – generally, in May/June, August/September and November.

Successful candidates receive support and reasonable allowances (i.e. travel and subsistence) during their three-year term.

The application deadline is 19 January 2022.

Applications, including a covering letter and CV, should be sent to paul.gosling@ahdb.org.uk

For further information on the roles and process, please call Paul Gosling on 078 1717 0156.

The anticipated interview date is 2 February 2022 at BSPB House (Ely, Cambridgeshire).

The RL Crop Committee Handbook, which provides further information on the role of the crop committees, can be accessed via the RL project and protocols page.