Opinion

Phil Warham has been an agronomist with Agrovista for six years. He gained a degree in Land and Farm Management at Harper Adams and managed farms for several years afterwards. He now advises on combinable crops, cereals, maize and vining peas in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and into Leicestershire. Key interests include direct drilling and soil health, as well as making farms profitable. In his spare time he is a keen runner, cyclist and horseman.

George Swann is an independent agronomist, member of Arable Alliance and proud member of the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC). He covers south Yorkshire, north Nottinghamshire and north Lincolnshire. George has a BSc (Hons) degree in Biology, is BASIS and FACTS qualified and also has BASIS Advanced Potatoes. George's expertise lies in helping his clients achieve maximum output whilst remaining as economical and sustainable as possible for the future.

Alex and Joanna Wilcox live and farm with their three sons at Hill Farm near Downham Market on the Norfolk County Council Stow Estate. Covering 240 hectares of Fen silty clay loam, they grow winter milling wheat, winter feed barley, spring malting barley, spring beans and sugar beet.

Dairy farmer Andy Venables farms in partnership with his family, milking 330 cows in Cheshire, selling milk on a Co-op contract. He is also managing director of Hillsgreen, a marketing agency dedicated to agriculture with many high-profile clients, including NFU and Cereals.

Food is always top of my agenda, personally and politically. But both the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have brought the importance of food into particularly sharp focus for us all.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is turning into one of the most shocking episodes in recent European history, creating unexpected waves across global supply chains.

A great opportunity is there for the taking, but will the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay take it?

Earlier this month, members of the House of Lords voted through a legislative change which could change farming in this country forever.

I feel contributing to the AHDB ‘Shape the Future’ consultation is worth my time and here are five reasons why I am taking part