John Davies has supplied Agronomy and Farm Advice since 2000 coming from a career in Farm Management. John qualified at Harper Adams University College, is a Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust scholar and supplies agronomy and farm business advice services to farmers in Southern England and Wales from his base near Presteigne, Powys.

He is a BASIS and FACTS professional registered agronomist and looks after a range of arable combineables, break crops, grassland and forage crops. Agronomy services usually have a regenerative (sustainable) approach including rotational planning, crop management, budgeting, fertiliser planning, soil assessments, reseeding plans, forage planning and weed pest disease assessment and plans. This regenerative approach addresses crop nutrition supply issues and improves cropping performance for his clients and is based on the maintenance of soil balance and considers soil physical, chemical and biological properties in conjunction with the balanced nutritional content of soil.

This focus on restoring soil balance (Physical, Chemical and Biological) ultimately improves plant resilience by stimulating the crops internal resistance to weed, pests and diseases. John also understands the importance of the role of soil biology in plant nutritional supply and the management tools needed to maintain this most important element of our soils. This approach achieves significant improvements in difficult soils with low organic matter levels, livestock nutritional and health issues, repetitive nutrient deficiencies and excessive historical manure and waste applications as well as reducing applied fertiliser amounts in the more ‘balanced’ soils.

A full range of analysis can be carried out including Standard and Full Soil Analysis, Soil Biological Health, Manures, Waste, Water and Tissue Analysis to support all supplied services and agronomic advice and compliance.

As both a farmer and adviser John’s agronomy clients range from arable farms, mixed livestock farms, farms focussing on regenerative production, large dairy units (both intensive and New Zealand grass based systems), Anaerobic Digesters – permitting, statutory compliance, feedstock supply, plough based, low-till and min-till based systems. Soil types are covered from predominantly chalk through to heavy clay. In addition to his agronomy services John also has a role with his clients supplying farm business advice including SFI, SFI Management Plans, Environmental Stewardship, Cross Compliance, Nitrate Vulnerable Zones regulation and various grant scheme applications. This gives John an overview of the whole business to ensure compliance to both Statutory and Best Practice Guidance is achieved.

John was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2008 and did his global study tour looking at ‘Waste Applications to Land and Anaerobic Digestion’. He is also a John Edgar Memorial Trust Farm Management Scholar. Both these experiences have further developed John’s regenerative agronomic techniques and taught John to ‘think outside the box’ and not be afraid to challenge existing practices especially if better more cost-effective sustainable solutions exist.