"Crop Doctor"

For 42 years I have been involved with farming and growing food but have never been a farmer. I became an agronomist because I wanted to be a ‘Crop Doctor’ and that is still what I do today. I am based at home and drive out to see my ‘patients’ who are fields. I have to look after their soils to make sure they are healthy, and then carefully watch over the growing crops to make sure that they are well fed and do not suffer from diseases or predators. No day is the same. Each visit also involves a dialogue with the Farmer to find the best options for each crop so I get to meet interesting people every day I work. I am part of a larger team based at Ludlow, and we regularly get together to compare notes on problems as well as being involved in training, which keeps us up to date on new developments and ideas, so there is always a great social side to this business.