Advice on how to become an agronomist.

[Great In Grass]

@RADkelly https://www.lgseeds.co.uk/jobs/field-trials-officer-woolpit-suffolk/

 

[ollie989898]

Working abroad as an agronomist would be very very useful. That said, I don't think a spell of working on an arable farm, maybe potatoes would go amiss. I would not want to have done my job with zero practical farm experience as it makes you a bit one-dimensional.

 

[Oat]

@RADkelly https://www.lgseeds.co.uk/jobs/field-trials-officer-woolpit-suffolk/

This role appears to be more based around variety trials, a role based around pesticide trials may be more relevant for an agronomist role. Try searching for R+D Trials Agronomist or Trials Officer on DeLacy, FW Jobs etc...

 

[ollie989898]

This role appears to be more based around variety trials, a role based around pesticide trials may be more relevant for an agronomist role. Try searching for R+D Trials Agronomist or Trials Officer on DeLacy, FW Jobs etc...

There will be a lot of relevant agronomy work involved with variety trials but that kind of work will not be for everyone. Even R and D trials or working for big agchem companies in this capacity would be dull as fudge to me.

 

[Great In Grass]

This role appears to be more based around variety trials, a role based around pesticide trials may be more relevant for an agronomist role. Try searching for R+D Trials Agronomist or Trials Officer on DeLacy, FW Jobs etc...

You will be working with some of the best people in cereal breeding and could lead to what the OP desires. It not always what you know but who you know.

 

[thesilentone]

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[Hampton]

Hi, I'm new on here so I'm not sure where to ask this.
I'm a 24 year old Female who is just recently graduated 2:1 honours degree (BSC) in Agriculture.
I want to become an agronomist but I'm finding it difficult to get any jobs in this sector especially as a trainee agronomist.

I have 10 weeks of experience working with scottish seed potatoes. Over ten weeks in summer 2019 I worked on a research project, funded by the British Society for Plant Pathology, and collecting data for my honours dissertation. This involved working alongside scientists from two different institutions to investigate the potential use of drones for surveying seed potato crops for pests and disease.
As part of this work I completed a variety of tasks including:
• Identification of potato cyst nematodes (PCN) and aphids in potato crops .
• Testing potato tubers for a variety of fungal blemish diseases and rots with the pathology team.
• Testing samples for potato viruses Y, X, A, S, M, V in the lab that were submitted by potato crop inspectors.
• Potato crop walking and training to identify any potential pest/disease in support of the seed potato classification scheme
• Collecting river samples for bacterial pathogens across Scottish rivers for Ralstonia solanacearum and Dickeya spp.
•I gained a Certificate of Completion for the Identification of potato varieties and their diseases

As part of my Bachelor’s Degree at I completed a final year dissertation project which focused on the use of drone imagery as an alternative to traditional ground-based assessment of the development of potato trial crops. During the project, I was responsible for collecting field-based data, particularly ground cover, and crop height that I also used for my dissertation.
I have experience with Excel, arcGIS and QGIS.

I lived in Edinburgh for two years while I completed my degree but have moved back home to Northern Ireland to look for a job as this means I don't have to pay for rent/council tax/other bills etc.

I come from a livestock farm and have additional experience where I worked in an abattoir for 8 months but not as much arable experience.

I'd really appreciate any advice given to me, I'm more than happy to move to England/Scotland/Wales for a job. I'd definitely do more arable crop work for experience but I'm not exactly sure where would be the best area to gain experience in.

Easiest way is to do the MSc in crop protection at Harper. 12 month course which buys you basis (just a viva to complete after 12 months in graduate post. Industry acknowledged etc.
Puts you ahead of the game with regards to competition

 

[Hampton]

Hi Nick, I applied to Agrovista but was told there were no positions in my area. Not sure if that meant the trainee agronomist position or geographical area but I did say I would move wherever there was a job as that is absolutely no issue for me.
I have sent a email enquiry regarding that.

You will have to be prepared to move out of your area to train and work. It may be that an agronomist is retiring in Devon and they are looking for a replacement down there. You have to be willing to take that post. Once you have earnt your spurs you can look to move elsewhere.
Having browsed in the back of farmers weekly recently, every Agronomy company in the Country is hiring graduates.
In 2002 when I started only 2 graduates were hired that year in the entire industry!

 

[RADkelly]

This role appears to be more based around variety trials, a role based around pesticide trials may be more relevant for an agronomist role. Try searching for R+D Trials Agronomist or Trials Officer on DeLacy, FW Jobs etc...

I spoke with an Agronomist working at hutchinsons, he told me variety trials as well would be good experience. Hopefully I can get something.

 

[ollie989898]

I personally would not pay to do an MSc, full blown BASIS will be cheaper and could be completed quicker.

 

[Hampton]

I personally would not pay to do an MSc, full blown BASIS will be cheaper and could be completed quicker.

True, but if you can’t get on to the graduate program you have to set yourself apart

 

[ollie989898]

True, but if you can’t get on to the graduate program you have to set yourself apart

Fair enough.

 

[Oat]

I spoke with an Agronomist working at hutchinsons, he told me variety trials as well would be good experience. Hopefully I can get something.

Yes, variety trials will be of some use, but ultimately the majority weed/disease/pest control is chemical inputs, so it is important to have a good understanding of this.

 

[Will Wilson]

go straight to MDS https://www.mds-ltd.co.uk/ - great structured placements including in agronomy.

 

[ollie989898]

go straight to MDS https://www.mds-ltd.co.uk/ - great structured placements including in agronomy.

Working in that sector will be an experience to say the least. Large lots of different crops and not just wheat and oilseed rape. Be good experience.

It is also worth contacting companies that are members of the Crest agronomy group.

 

[woodylane]

Easiest way is to do the MSc in crop protection at Harper. 12 month course which buys you basis (just a viva to complete after 12 months in graduate post. Industry acknowledged etc.
Puts you ahead of the game with regards to competition

It might be the easiest way but it’s not necessarily the best way and I wouldn’t say it sets you apart. Speaking from personal experience there seems to be a lot of merit given to real world experience rather than classroom. Having BASIS doesn’t make you an agronomist I would say it’s merely the start of the journey.

 

[woodylane]

I’ll also add that I’m not saying don’t do it, just maybe to get more on farm experience as it is sometimes the achievements outside of Academia that set you apart. Good luck it’s a great career!!!!

 

[Hampton]

It might be the easiest way but it’s not necessarily the best way and I wouldn’t say it sets you apart. Speaking from personal experience there seems to be a lot of merit given to real world experience rather than classroom. Having BASIS doesn’t make you an agronomist I would say it’s merely the start of the journey.

I think you are wrong. It’s the course which many of the senior agronomists and ones doing the interviewing have done.
If you have three candidates all with 2:1 bsc Hons but one has a masters degree, the one with the masters degree will get an interview over the other 2. That’s just the way it works. It’s called Meritocracy.
The OP stated that they couldn’t get a job. This is a way to stand out. Shadowing an agronomist in your spare time isn’t a way to stand out, that’s just expected!
And of course it’s the start of the journey, it’s about getting the job in the first place. Everything else is largely irrelevant until you have employment.

 

[Hampton]

I spoke with an Agronomist working at hutchinsons, he told me variety trials as well would be good experience. Hopefully I can get something.

Have a word with Eurofins, or try and get on the Grad scheme at Syngenta or Corteva. Easier said than done but it will give you an excellent grounding.
Alternatively, if you want to look at it from another angle, MDS or Gs marketing grad schemes are not a bad way in as you can choose to specialise into veg agronomy down the line. They have good career progression too.

 

[Hampton]

I’ll also add that I’m not saying don’t do it, just maybe to get more on farm experience as it is sometimes the achievements outside of Academia that set you apart. Good luck it’s a great career!!!!

I do agree that academia isn’t the only way. But in my experience it is the quickest and easiest way. I suppose my point was that if you are doing basis anyway, do it as a post grad course and broaden your horizons, you may decide that actually, other areas of agronomy are better than what is taught in the standard basis course