How Much Ground Do Agronomists Cover?

[Oscar]

I would think most agronomist would be 15000 acs plus . It does depend on crops grown ie local Ad buisness grows 3500 acs of maize so basically , round up , pre emergence herbicide plus a possible follow up spray so big area but very simple job.
My nephew works in Lincolnshire and I think he is around 20000 acs now, about 8 years into the job . He does work long hours in the spring rush upto around now but things settle down and during winter he does a lot of shooting etc . Not knocking him but he is doing very well financially I m guessing judge by his house upgrades and lifestyle.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I thought 6000 sounded a bit low, but didn’t really know.

What constitutes a good look at the crop then? Just a walk through it on the way to the next field? A quick 25 yards into the crop then back in the car? A full walk in a big circle taking in the greater part of the field?

I spend a lot of time in customers fields but can very rarely recall meeting an agronomist anywhere on farm.

 

[alomy75]

its an dying occupation really soon to be replaced by remote sensing, drones, satellites and AI algorithms

still a level of himan intervention required but i think it wont be long before an agronomist “walks” 100’s of thousands of acres

I agree. I do my own agronomy and on a typical cereal rotation the only thing you can’t really do remotely is weed control. It’s a hard life-they get grief when stuff goes wrong and if all their crops look good; they get moaned at because it cost too much. Quite a few have to cold call to increase their area and as we know; it’s not often an agronomist is changed. There are some on a fair wedge but there’s an awful lot not. As for coverage; all depends on the setup and field size. If you have to drive between each field you could do 3000 acres in a day but it would literally be dipping a toe in each field.

 

[Bury the Trash]

1970’s agronomy ??

did agronomists exist even, back then, ? i dont remember anyone having one, just went to the local supplier and picked up some mcpa etc.. Maris Huntsman didnt seem to need an awful lot of pampering.

Certainly Something seems to be a bit wrong if most are too scared to grow stuff without employing one these days.

 

[alomy75]

did agronomists exist even, back then, ? i dont remember anyone having one, just went to the local supplier and picked up some mcpa etc.. Maris Huntsman didnt seem to need an awful lot of pampering.

Certainly Something seems to be a bit wrong if most are too scared to grow stuff without employing one these days.

Nothing to be with being scared; it’s the law

 

[Bury the Trash]

Nothing to be with being scared; it’s the law

Nonsense.
There is no law that tells me i cant grow crops without employing an Agronomist.

 

[alomy75]

Nonsense.
There is no law that tells me i cant grow crops without employing an Agronomist.

You said you went to the supplier and picked up some MCPA in the seventies. In the present day unless you are qualified to write your own recommendation you can’t spray it and your supplier can’t supply it to you. By law.

 

[bobk]

You said you went to the supplier and picked up some MCPA in the seventies. In the present day unless you are qualified to write your own recommendation you can’t spray it and your supplier can’t supply it to you. By law.

Rubbish , you can order chems online .

 

[alomy75]

Rubbish , you can order chems online .

You can do lots of stuff online. It’s still the law.

 

[Bury the Trash]

You said you went to the supplier and picked up some MCPA in the seventies. In the present day unless you are qualified to write your own recommendation you can’t spray it and your supplier can’t supply it to you. By law.

where did i say that ? i wasn't farming in the 70's Dad was though.

 

[bobk]

You can do lots of stuff online. It’s still the law.

Post it up then .

 

[Enry]

Aye up,

Just wondering after 2-3 similar conversations with customers over the last couple of weeks.

One of them has an agronomist that looks after around 6000 acres and told him there is no way anybody could look after more and do it properly, but another says his agronomist looks after nearly treble that area.

These are cereal and OSR growers with maybe a smattering of spuds and AD crops thrown in.

Is agronomy a well paid career?

Cheers, Pete.

6000 ac of mainline crops is nothing - I would have though 4-5x that area and maybe more, if you had a lot of beet and potatoes maybe less, and veg etc obvs a lot more full on, but cereals, pulses and rape is pretty standard across a lot of acres

 

[Sid]

I thought 6000 sounded a bit low, but didn’t really know.

What constitutes a good look at the crop then? Just a walk through it on the way to the next field? A quick 25 yards into the crop then back in the car? A full walk in a big circle taking in the greater part of the field?

I spend a lot of time in customers fields but can very rarely recall meeting an agronomist anywhere on farm.

I agree. I do my own agronomy and on a typical cereal rotation the only thing you can’t really do remotely is weed control. It’s a hard life-they get grief when stuff goes wrong and if all their crops look good; they get moaned at because it cost too much. Quite a few have to cold call to increase their area and as we know; it’s not often an agronomist is changed. There are some on a fair wedge but there’s an awful lot not. As for coverage; all depends on the setup and field size. If you have to drive between each field you could do 3000 acres in a day but it would literally be dipping a toe in each field.

Was reading a website of a contract farming operation who states "have a policy of crop walking ever acre every week"

 

[T Hectares]

Was reading a website of a contract farming operation who states "have a policy of crop walking ever acre every week"

They should be reported to Advertising standards !!
Every acre every week, really ???
They’re going to really walk up and down tramlines at 10 m intervals and walk over winter stubbles every week ??

“We pledge to throughly walk your farm every week” might be a more realistic statement

 

[alomy75]

Post it up then .

Ok not law to the letter; but may as well be. Plus a requirement for your assurance

 

[T Hectares]

I thought 6000 sounded a bit low, but didn’t really know.

What constitutes a good look at the crop then? Just a walk through it on the way to the next field? A quick 25 yards into the crop then back in the car? A full walk in a big circle taking in the greater part of the field?

I spend a lot of time in customers fields but can very rarely recall meeting an agronomist anywhere on farm.

I find it’s rare that the whole farm is walked at once, here it’s WW and OSR walking in the autumn, Winter Beans don’t take up much time, a third of this farm is Spring Barley which needs walking mainly once the OSR is flowering and is less rigorously inspected after this, the big bulge is April when everything needs looking at !!

 

[Bury the Trash]

Ok not law to the letter; but may as well be. Plus a requirement for your assurance

Hmm.

The irony with it all is that in the small print at the bottom of their rec. sheet is a disclaimer.

 

[Kevtherev]

Many agronomists don’t walk a lot of the fields just blanket treat everything.
Sorry to say it but it’s the truth.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Hmm.

The irony with it all is that in the small print at the bottom of their rec. sheet is a disclaimer.

A bit like accountants. Professionals…….

 

[Zippy768]

Maybe I'm being naive but I cant believe our serviced agronomist is on much of a commission.
Uses up old chem, fits to can sizes where able to, gives me choices of applications - with prices. If a (poor) crop doesn't warrant a fung, he won't recommend one. Happy enough to get germination tests etc on any hss. Can almost set your calendar to him walking around. Tells me he is walking round and reports back.
Maybe he is just a terrible salesman