Agrovista has strengthened its seed sales team with the arrival of Zak McClelland.
From a farming background, Zak started his career as a sprayer operator across 400-500ha of arable and grassland in Wiltshire, before moving to become farm foreman on a farm near Basingstoke in Hampshire, where he ran the day-to-day spraying, combining and fertiliser operations for a large arable operation.
His switch into the commercial side of agriculture began when he joined Frontier Agriculture in 2019, initially in the precision farming side of its business, before becoming a farm trader in October 2020.
“I enjoyed the commercial side of farming when I was working on the farm,” Zak says. “Particularly selling grain and getting quotes for inputs, so I was interested in being on the other side of the fence and doing a commercial role.”
The wider networking that comes with such a role also appealed, Zak adds.
Having spent over six years with Frontier Agriculture and ADM, Zak joined Agrovista in May 2026, as Seed Sales Manager covering the southern half of England.
“I like Agrovista’s business model, how they interact with farmers,” he says. “The business is very farmer facing, and for the farmer. Having been a farmer, that way of working clicked with my values.”
Another key reason was within his farm trader roles he had built a big seed book, especially in cereal and maize seed. “It appealed to me to be an expert in one product line rather than knowing a bit about every different type of input.”
Zak’s main focus will be providing seed-related advice and support for the firm’s agronomy teams on farm, as well as working closely with key accounts and farm management businesses to secure sales of key varieties at appropriate volumes.
“Agrovista’s seeds business has grown significantly over the past few years,” Zak notes. “I would like to continue to accelerate that growth in my area by building strong relationships with both businesses we already work with and new ones.”
Zak’s relatively unique combination of practical farming understanding, strong varietal knowledge and commercial experience was a key reason to bring him into the business, says Tom Nickerson, Agrovista’s Director of Seed.
“This will help our sales teams deliver technical recommendations with a pragmatic, on-farm perspective, providing greater value to our growers, while strengthening our position in the market.
“He brings a wealth of experience and fresh ideas, but just as importantly a vibrant, friendly personality that will resonate with growers and industry contacts. His enthusiasm and positive approach have already made a valuable contribution to the business,” Tom says.