Amy Catling, AHDB
Amy Catling
Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager – Cereals & Oilseeds
AHDB

Amy joined AHDB in 2022 to manage the Farm Excellence programme for Cereal & Oilseeds in the East Anglia region. After graduating from Harper Adams in 2008 with a degree in agriculture, Amy provided agronomy and agronomy technical support for 14 years (Frontier) and achieved a BASIS Diploma in Agronomy and FACTS qualification. She lives on the family farm in Norfolk.

Dannielle Robb, Ceres Research
Dannielle Robb
Research and Knowledge Exchange Assistant
Ceres Research

Dannielle has authored peer-reviewed research on agronomy and farmer engagement with technology, and is FACTS qualified. She has contributed to professional networks including the British Society of Soil Science and Women in Food and Farming, and was invited to engage with international stakeholders at COP27.

David Bell, AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Sector Council
David Bell
Farmer | Chair | Non-Executive Director
AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Sector Council

David Bell is a mixed farmer in East Fife with cereal, beef, potato and environmental enterprises over his own ground and contract farming ground. He is Vice Chair of AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Sector Council, Interim Chair of SRUC and Chair of the Voluntary Initiative and is active within NFUS. David has a strong interest in IPM and hosts a range of on-farm trials including establishment, seed dressings, fungicides, nutrition and applications.

David Clarke, NIAB
David Clarke
Soils and Farming Systems Specialist
NIAB

David is a soils and farming systems specialist at NIAB, delivering applied research on soil health, cultivation, nutrient management and crop rotations. He manages long-term trials, develops crop and soil modelling tools to support on-farm decision-making, and leads delivery of the AHDB Strategic Farm East programme.

Digby Sowerby, Environmental Farmers Group
Digby Sowerby
Managing Director
Environmental Farmers Group

Digby Sowerby is Managing Director at Environmental Farmers Group. His work to date has focused on shaping opportunities for farmers in natural capital markets. Prior to this, he worked on an agri-tech project for a rural scale-up business. He was brought up on a tenanted family arable farm in North Lincolnshire.

Eliot Dixon, UK Agri-Tech Centre
Eliot Dixon
Head of Robotics and AI
UK Agri-Tech Centre

Eliot Dixon is head of robotics and AI at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, where he supports the development of agricultural technologies, particularly robotics and machine learning products. His work focuses on bridging the gap between technology and agriculture to support the adoption of automation and data-driven insights by farmers, researchers, and companies.

Elizabeth Stockdale, NIAB
Elizabeth Stockdale
Head of Farming Systems Research
NIAB

Elizabeth Stockdale is Head of Farming Systems Research at NIAB. She has over 25 years' applied soil and nutrient management research experience, and has been active in developing farmer-focused approaches to measurement of soil health and developing on-farm toolkits for improved soil management.

Emma Willis, AHDB
Emma Willis
Head of Arable Agronomy
AHDB

Emma is a BASIS- and FACTS-qualified agronomist, supporting farmers on agronomy matters, including integrated pest management (IPM), soil health and nutrient management. As a member of the BASIS Environmental Advisers Register, Emma advises on environmental legislation and stewardship, helping farms tailor agri-environment schemes to their specific farming systems.

James Milne, Barclays Agriculture
James Milne
Agricultural Regional Manager
Barclays Agriculture

James Milne is the Regional Head of Barclays Agriculture for the Eastern region, supporting farming clients across a diverse rural economy. He also leads on sustainability for Barclays Agriculture, helping drive the transition to more resilient and environmentally responsible farming.

Julie Warren, Propel Finance
Julie Warren
Marketing Director
Propel Finance

Julie Warren is marketing director at Propel Finance, with over 35 years’ experience in senior sales and marketing roles across banking, fintech and agriculture. She has held leadership positions at Barclays and Aldermore, and brings a strong understanding of the challenges facing farming and rural businesses.

Liz Bowles, Farm Carbon Toolkit
Liz Bowles
Chief Executive
Farm Carbon Toolkit

Liz is Chief Executive of the Farm Carbon Toolkit (FCT), with wide experience of UK agriculture and expertise in greenhouse gas auditing, carbon removals into farmland, and voluntary carbon markets. She has held senior roles at the Soil Association, EFFP and ADAS, and brings over 30 years’ experience combining a practical approach with scientific and sector knowledge. She is a Nuffield scholar and farms pedigree Shropshire sheep.

Louise Penn, Ceres Rural
Louise Penn
Farming Consultant & Agronomist
Ceres Rural

Louise is an agronomist and farming consultant working with clients across the Midlands. Her work focuses on regenerative agriculture and soil health, with a particular interest in how technology, data and AI can support more sustainable and productive farming systems, and help farmers make more informed agronomy decisions.

Nick Anderson, Velcourt Limited
Nick Anderson
Technical Director
Velcourt Limited

Nick Anderson is Head of Crop Technology at Velcourt and a consultant to a number of large farming businesses in Eastern Europe and the CIS region. He works closely with Velcourt farm managers and agronomists to optimise crop production systems and strategy.

Nick Down, Velcourt Limited
Nick Down
Senior Farms Manager | Head of Sustainability
Velcourt Limited

Nick manages three businesses in West Berkshire and North Wiltshire on behalf of Velcourt. Cropping is predominantly combinable crops alongside Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements. The Yattendon Estate is part of the LEAF demonstration farm network and Nick also leads the privately funded, Upper Pang farmer cluster.

Richard Anthony, R and L Anthony
Richard Anthony
Farmer | National Arable & Grassland Awards Grower Of The Year 2024
R and L Anthony

Richard Anthony is an award-winning arable farmer at Tythegston Farm, Bridgend, Wales. He is also Vice-Chairman of the NFU Cymru Crops & Horticulture Board and runs a diversified combinable cropping system with a long rotation and a strong emphasis on soil health and sustainable production.

Richard Oliver, University of Nottingham
Richard Oliver
Adjunct professor | Author
University of Nottingham

Richard Oliver is an adjunct professor at the University of Nottingham and an author, specialising in plant pathology. His research has focused on plant–pathogen interactions, disease resistance and fungicide resistance in arable and horticultural crops, and he has held academic and advisory roles in the UK and Australia.

Sarah Cook, ADAS Sustainable Agriculture Systems
Sarah Cook
Weed Scientist
ADAS Sustainable Agriculture Systems

Dr Sarah Cook is a senior research scientist and arable weed specialist at ADAS with over 30 years’ experience in weed control. Her work spans all aspects of arable crop production, including weed management, agronomy, and integrated crop production. She is the lead for ADAS’ herbicide resistance testing service.

Tom Allen-Stevens, British On-Farm Innovation Network
Tom Allen-Stevens
Farmer| Founder, BOFIN
British On-Farm Innovation Network

Tom Allen-Stevens is an arable farmer and founder of BOFIN. An award-winning journalist, he has 25 years’ experience communicating to arable farmers and collaborating on field trials, with a focus on technical innovation, particularly plant-breeding. He is a former director and chair of Oxford Farming Conference with a family farm in Oxfordshire.

Tom Wilkinson, ADAS Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Tom Wilkinson
Senior Crop Research Consultant
ADAS Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Dr Tom Wilkinson is a crop physiology research consultant at ADAS, based in Nottinghamshire. His work focuses on break crops including oilseed rape and pulses, nutrient management, and optimising crop performance. He is technical lead for the Pulse and Oilseed Yield Enhancement Networks (YENs).