Yorkshire based agronomist David Stead captured the prestigious Agronomist of the Year award at the House of Commons last Friday evening.
Born and raised on a mixed family farm near Thirsk in North Yorkshire, David has always been interested in arable farming and following four years at Harper Adams University College studying Agriculture with Crop Management, he joined joined HL Hutchinson Ltd as a Foundation trainee Agronomist. It is with Hutchinson’s that David has progressed his career as a very respected agronomist, continually furthering his knowledge base and expertise. The size of farms he advises on, varies from 40 to over 1000Ha. In terms of acreage he oversees 5190Ha cereals, 662Ha potatoes, 360Ha winter oilseed rape, 360Ha brassica veg, 200Ha Pulses, 160Ha maize, 100Ha beet, 90Ha rhubarb, and 62Ha of mixed herbs & salads.
David is also the area business manager for the Yorkshire HLH team, organising and overseeing a team of 6 Agronomist’s and 4 Agronomist agents. David continues to develop his own training but also trains and mentors others. He strives to give advice on a wide area of Agronomy enabling farmers to fulfil their goals and ensure financial profitability for each farm business. One of David’s customers shared, “It is David’s true passion for Agronomy that shines through. He has the capacity to think laterally and the depth of his knowledge, his attention to detail, his willingness to listen and then to explore a variety of solutions to the inevitable problems that crop up in farming, is the key to his success.”
The judges of the Agronomist of the Year category said that David’s enthusiasm and energy was outstanding and he was always prepared to go the extra mile in order keep his clients up to date and on top of the crops throughout the growing season.
