The Consultants
Helen Baxter has run her own agronomy business for many years and been employed as a senior consultant for a national consultancy company. Helen was also executive secretary for the Association of Independent Crop Consultants and later a member of council.
Helen is FACTS & ICM registered and a member of the BASIS Professional register. She offers custom made agronomy packages and advises on cost effective crop production for all combinable crops, sugar beet and potatoes, with maximum whole farm profitability being the driving criteria. Helen advises clients on new arable and environmental schemes and compliances and also acts as an expert for EIS applications and crop damage claims.
Key to Helens and her clients success is the drive to keep abreast of change
Andy Scholey has worked as an agronomist in Norfolk since 1982, working for a farmer co-operative for nine years before becoming self employed in 1991. Born in Leeds, he gained a B.Sc.(Hons) in Agriculture at Bangor University in 1973.
He began working for a small agricultural merchant before joining a national company and training in seed production, and managing a large seed testing laboratory. In the late 1970’s he spent six years in cereal trials during the exciting Laloux and Schleiswig Holstein years, and the early days of Cereal fungicides. His experience over the last 20 years has placed Andy in a fine position to help arable farmers in the challenging times ahead. All combinable crops and sugar beet across all soil types.
Michael Thompson, BSc(Hons), MSc comes from a family farming business in Northamptonshire. He gained a BSc(Hons) in agricultural botany at Newcastle University and went on to take an MSc in the technology of crop protection at Reading University. He started work as an independent agronomist in 1983 and since then has gained a wide experience in crop management on a full range of soil types and seasons. He is fully professionally qualified with BASIS& FACTS, and ICM certificate. Michael invests a lot of time and effort in maintaining his continuing professional development.
A full crop management service is offered on combinable crops, sugar beet and vining peas. He also acts as expert witness for the investigation and reporting of crop damage claims.
Dr. Pat Turnbull Bsc.( Hons) PhD. Pat's interest in crops began at an early age on the family farm in Leicestershire. After gaining a Bsc. In Agricultural Botany at Nottingham University she went on to carry out research for a PhD thesis investigating herbicide damage in sugar beet at Broom's Barn. Since 1983 Pat has worked as an independent agronomist specialising in sugar beet & oilseed rape. She is BASIS, FACTS and ICM qualified and is an affiliated consultant to Morley Research Centre sitting on their Experiments' sub-committee. More recently Pat has been elected onto the Scientific Advisory Committee for the BBRO.
In this focused role over 20 years Pat believes she is well qualified to give expert advice on the sugar beet and rape crops. She also offers 'Investigation & evidence for claims' and 'In field training for BASIS'.
Andrew Watson Bsc (Hons) has worked as an advisor to farmers since 1989 when he gained a Bsc (Hons) in Agriculture from Edinburgh University. Since 1989, he has worked both in the commercial and wholly independent sectors of agronomic advice including several years employed with a farmer co-operative. He has also qualified in BASIS, FACTS and Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and is professionally registered. Andrew pools information from many sources and in particular he is a member of the AICC and is an affiliated consultant to Morley Research Centre where he sits on the Experiments Sub Committee. He advises on all combinable crops as well as Sugar Beet and Potatoes.
Andrew provides a tailor-made agronomy service with particular emphasis on variable cost/yield optimisation and practical no nonsense advice.