Article taken from Farm Business Magazine
Agriculture has always faced challenges, and in the current marketplace it takes strong leadership and business acumen to stand out and succeed — that's why Agrovista continues to sponsor the Progressive Farmer of the Year category in the Food & Farming Industry Awards. As one of Britain's top sup-pliers of agronomy and inputs to the industry, a position it has held through many changes and many forms for over 60 years, the company recognised early that the farming industry needs its leaders, innovators and those prepared to develop new techniques and identify markets and manage a profitable and sustainable business. Agrovista has more than 150 agronomists providing advice to growers and the ability to be able to look at the whole scenario and give informed and proven advice utilising the latest technologies and research platforms is key in profitable crop production. ""The profit a business makes is crucial," says Nick Rainsley, Agrovista's head of marketing.
""There's no point just coming up with novel crops, ways of growing or doing business if its not a sustainable model. We're looking for people who have taken new ideas, utilised resources skilfully and created commercial successes from them. Utilising resource and finance is important to maximise return and profit, and those are the enterprises we're looking for.
""We're looking for people who are doing something different. That's what makes them progressive. That's what makes them innovators and leaders. ""The potential winner is someone who's responded to the challenges UK agriculture faces, utilised the available technology and maximised the use of it in a sustainable way. Understanding the farm's resources — staff, buildings, land, proximity to markets, environment, expertise, precision technology and finance —in a package to create a return on investment and maximise on the opportunities."" It has to be a viable business focussed on agriculture. ""We're not looking for hobby farmers or charities," says Mr Rainsley. ""If you aren't making money you aren't making the right use of innovation — profitable, viable, proven businesses are what will stand out."" The 2015 winner, New Forest Fruits, demonstrated great farming practice, great environmental management, and a rare ability to develop new markets — both with new varieties, but also new species grown in the UK. By developing partnerships upstream with suppliers and downstream with customers, it looks to maximise every opportunity and secure key market opportunities. Agrovista as sponsor is doing what the company is looking for from entrants. It has proved consistently that it is an innovator in its own right and plays a vital role in developing new techniques and solutions, and understanding new technology.
Staff development and the ability to bring in and train new people in agronomy and the latest techniques are at the core of the business.
Agrovista's new online grower hub, Axis, marketed under its Plantsystems brand, links up the technology found on farm and aims to beat the yield plateau that faces arable farming. It is a great example of the company's progressive approach, linking farmers' crop data and precision farming tools with specialist weather services, and offers a future-proof platform for effective modern farm management. The new services include an app to transfer information directly from a mapping pro-gram on a smartphone to the cloud-based management sys-tem. This allows growers and their staff the ability to share vital information about their business quickly and efficiently.
The latest development is to allow growers to transfer data from recording systems, such as combine maps and green area maps up to Axis, and download it as variable rate nutrition or seed maps and input directly to the spreader or drill. ""Politicians have become aware of the need to produce food for a growing population," says Mr Rainsley. ""With resources limited, land at a premium and society insisting we must work with the environment and a strictly controlled, but reducing chemical toolbox, innovation is vital. The professional nature of British farming is highlighted by the skills and development of staff, and investment in training and education has a big impact on a business's success. That's why we believe in giving the greatest possible encouragement to those farmers who are progressive and who show the way for-ward to the whole industry.""