Richard Tresidder, of Agrovista, Cornwall, is Farmers Weekly 2024 Awards Arable Adviser of the Year.

Agrovista agronomist Richard Tresidder has set his sights on becoming the best agronomist in Cornwall.

With 200 farming clients spanning from Land’s End to Exeter, whom he visits every week, Richard has built a strong reputation for his hard work, adaptability, and high level of service.

His journey began as a sprayer man for 15 years, but his passion for crop agronomy led him to become a full-time agronomist 11 years ago.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2024: Arable Adviser of the Year finalists

Richard, 40, always held the belief that glyphosate and the plough made the farm, but he accepts that the world is changing and farming is becoming more complicated.

Richard advises on a diverse range of crops, including grass, combinables, brassicas, vegetables, and potatoes, across various soil types in a rapidly changing Cornish climate, which requires an adaptable approach and attention to detail.

Client rapport

Richard’s client-centric approach is evident at 340ha Brew Farm at Land’s End, where he has worked closely with farmer Adrian Semmens and his daughter Emma since they decided to move away from dairying.

He has been instrumental in transitioning the farm to more sustainable practices, such as reducing reliance on ploughing and incorporating Defra’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme options.

As part of a joint effort, Adrian has purchased a Sky Easydrill to help reduce reliance on ploughing, favouring min-till and some direct drilling.

Richard has also been instrumental in helping the family introduce SFI options onto the farm.

Daughter Emma says Richard has helped to move the farm from a paper-based recording system to a more up-to-date online one based around GreenLight.

The family rents out about 40ha of ground on a rotational basis to selected vegetable growers to grow parsnips, cauliflowers and potatoes.

This helps achieve a sustainable rotation and give the Semmens a fresh start to autumn cereal production.

Adrian says: “Richard has proved to be an extremely valuable asset to our business. His diligence, regular crop walking, attention to detail, and sound advice has helped us greatly to move forward.”

Technical expertise

Richard’s technical expertise shines in his efforts working with growers to combat local agronomic challenges.

One key issue is wireworm infestation in brassica crops.

To tackle this, Richard has been experimenting with innovative pest control methods, including the use of pheromone traps to capture the click beetle (adult wireworm).

This initiative is part of a broader effort by a local brassica growers group he helped to establish, aimed at improving pest management strategies.

Septoria in wheat is another major challenge for Richard’s farmer clients, particularly due to the local climate and geographical factors that increase disease pressure.

In a bid to find more effective strategies, this autumn he is planning his own fungicide trials for septoria control in winter wheat.

The future

Richard has no interest in moving away from his field-based role, nor has he any aspiration to move into management.

Despite his dedication to fieldwork, he is looking to reduce his extensive travel, which has amounted to more than 80,000 miles since 2022.

Richard will soon be mentoring a new colleague at Agrovista to help manage some of his clients further afield.