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Samuel Vaughan

"My qualification has proved essential in gaining peoples respect in the working farm environment."
Samuel Vaughan Samuel Vaughan

I am an… Agronomist

“My qualification has proved essential in gaining people’s respect in the working farm environment,” says Samuel Vaughan, of Northamptonshire, of his BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Crop Management.

“My degree gave me a good technical grounding from a respected establishment in the agricultural industry.”

Despite graduating just two years ago, Samuel has set up a successful business as an independent agronomist – Samuel Vaughan Agronomy Services. “The opportunity arose due to my placement so I was prepared to give it a try,” says the 24-year-old, who worked as a trainee agronomist during that year, with the AtlasFram Group.

It was a year, he says, that massively boosted his career prospects. “It demonstrates to potential employers that you are able to work in a pressured environment and not just a classroom. The placement year was invaluable as it enabled me to implement what I had learnt during the first two years and also develop my technical knowledge by ‘on the job learning’. Also some great friends were made.

He would offer this advice to students wishing to follow a similar route: “Be realistic about what you are capable of and be prepared to ask people in the industry - they are always happy to help or point you in the right direction.”

Samuel chose to study at Harper Adams, he says, because “At Harper Adams you receive very good quality teaching by very approachable people who are well known and respected in the agricultural industry. The course content combines a good mix of technical and practical teaching with excellent facilities on campus to aid the course. It gave me a good technical grounding from a respected establishment in the agricultural industry.”

It’s a university he’d wholeheartedly recommend to other students, he adds: “The people you meet here will be lifelong friends and the establishment is held in high regard in the agricultural industry. My qualification has proved essential in gaining people’s respect in the working farm environment. The social life at uni also made me a more rounded person which is essential to progress in the industry.”

You could be an agronomist too.

Agronomy is “the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fibre and reclamation” says the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC).

An Agronomist is “A practitioner with a scientific background who specializes in agronomy – best described as a ‘Crop Doctor’. They deal with interactions between plants, soils and the environment.”

Read more about agronomy as a career here:

 

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