Crop Production Specialists Hutchinsons has appointed Keith Norman as an external consultant to its technical and training teams.
Mr Norman will provide consultancy support to the technical areas of the business including helping to develop the Hutchinsons technical activties across the UK and, in particular, helping to develop the industry-leading Foundation and Academy agronomist training programmes already in place within the company.
Mr Norman recently retired from his previous role as technical director for Velcourt Ltd where he supported a team of 45 farm managers responsible for farming in excess of 50,000 hectares of commercial crops. He was responsible for the planning and delivery of technical research and knowledge transfer in all aspects of crop management, including crop protection, seed and crop establishment, crop nutrition, precision farming technology and farm management.
Keith graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in agriculture, specialising in crop production, followed by a career in practical farm management before moving to a technical role. This has also included working overseas for Velcourt in Spain, France, Germany, Zambia, Russia and Ukraine.
“Agriculture is going through a revolutionary period, both technically and politically, with regulation and resistance presenting key challenges, yet at the same time, there is a very exciting “technical horizon” with new technologies being developed.
“I will be working with the technical team at Hutchinsons, to help them identify and develop these new technologies for the benefit of their agronomists and farming clients. The level of investment in terms of technical training and personal development that they are providing for their agronomists is very impressive and I am also really looking forward to having an input into the Hutchinsons Foundation and Academy training programmes,”says Keith Norman.
“Our customers are facing a changing business landscape as a result of rapid technological developments, as well as the need for greater environmental engagement and the likelihood of significant political influence. This means that requirements for agronomic expertise, support and advice are continually evolving and we believe that this will continue to be the case for the forseeable future. “
“Keith Norman’s knowledge and practical experience in these and many other areas, will be invaluable in supporting our plans and commitment to meet the needs of our customers over the years ahead,” says managing director, Andrew McShane.
