Industry Insight- Farming and Agriculture Awards 2017

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Farming and Agriculture 2017

Hirst Priory

North Lincolnshire’s newest wedding and events venue, we invited company director Hazel Wheatley to talk us through the work she and her team have put in to create this unique venue and how they work hard to ensure clients have an unforgettable event.

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Welcome to the Farming and Agriculture Awards.

Farming and agriculture play a critical role in the economy of countries worldwide. In addition to providing food, raw materials and renewable energy, farming and agriculture also offers the opportunity of employment to large percentages of the global population.

For this reason, we have created the 2017 Farming and Agriculture Awards.

These awards aim to recognise the hard work, determination and innovation of those involved within this industry and to celebrate the passion for farming and agriculture globally.

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Ultimately, this awards programme aims to highlight the adaptability of companies and individuals across the industry, regardless of the size or scale in which they operate.

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Contents...

K 5. Hawkeye Steel Products, Inc Best Livestock Equipment Manufacturer - Iowa

6. Hirst Priory Best Rural Wedding Events Venue - Lincolnshire

6. Florensa Argentina Best Horticulture Seed Provider - Argentina

7. Nethan Valley Veterinary Centre Best Pet Veterinary Practice - South Lanarkshire & Award for Excellence in Pet Behavioural Services

8. Hartpury College Best for Agriculture Studies 2017 - South West England & Award for Excellence in Veterinary Studies - South West England

10. International Pesticide Application Research Centre Best Pesticide Research & Education Agency Europe

12. Nova - Q Ltd

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Best for Full-Cycle Farming Innovations & Excellence Award for Biological Products in Agriculture - 2017

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT MONTHLY

Best Livestock Equipment Manufacturer - Iowa

K Hawkeye Steel Products, Inc. manufactures equipment and systems for animal agricultural markets and fabric buildings for a wide range of agricultural, commercial and industrial applications. We profile the firm and explore the secrets behind its success.

Hawkeye Steel traces its origins to 1903 and its current private ownership to 1986, drawing on its vast industry experience to provide three core brands: •

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span widths (with no interior supports) of up to 200 feet (60 meters) are manufactured.

Hawkeye Steel exists to design and manufacture long lasting equipment and structures which make production more convenient, less labor intensive Pride of the Farm® feeds and and with reduced costs for those waters hundreds of thousands producing and sheltering animals. of animals in the USA, Canada and Europe. Pride of the Farm® Hawkeye Steel exists to provide a manufactures 100% energy free workplace of meaningful and hard drinkers, heated drinkers, swine work in an environment where all associates can do their best work with equipment, hopper bottom silos and has the number one position the highest standards.

The company has been successful in the sale of mineral feeders in through many years because of a the USA; focus on helping customers enhance their lives and fulfill their goals.

Brower® manufactures animal feeding and watering equipment The company works at continuous improvement and consistent with emphasis in the poultry marketing. The company works hard market. Brower® also sells a at conveying these messages to its unique line of equipment for associates as well. processing poultry in small Ultimately, Hawkeye Steel Products plants. Brower® exports enjoys what it does because of its equipment every year to what it can offer customers. Just as Canada, Mexico, Central and importantly, the company enjoys what South America, the Caribbean Islands and some Asian markets; it does because of the great people it is privileged to serve.

Span-Tech® is the company’s fabric building line. Buildings are popular for storage of corrosive materials such as fertilizer, salt and composting animal wastes.

Buildings are used for storage of any kind of equipment or materials, grain storage, hay storage, equine riding arenas and for animal production including cattle feeding. Open

Company: Hawkeye Steel Products, Inc. Contact: sales@hawkeyesteel.com Address: 609 Main Street PO Box 2000, Houghton, Iowa 52631 USA Phone: 800-553-1791 Phone: 319-469-4141 Fax: 319-469-4402 Website: www.hawkeyesteel.com

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Best Rural Wedding Events Venue Lincolnshire Hirst Priory is a grade II listed 18thC country house converted in to North Lincolnshire’s newest wedding and events venue in 2014 by company director Hazel Wheatley. We invited her to talk us through the work she and her team have put in to create this unique venue and how they work hard to ensure clients have an unforgettable event.

Prior to opening, £250,000 worth of investment was raised to convert what had always been a privately-owned property in to a highly desirable commercial venue and create the Hirst Priory we know today. Wedding services are the core offering for clients who are looking for a stylish venue wrapped in private gardens and the wider Lincolnshire countryside. In addition, the property is increasingly attracting corporate clients looking for a great setting in which to host training events and meetings as well as social functions.

as possible to help deliver their unique vision to a high standard.

We are good at building personal relationships with clients so we understand them better and can add all the little touches that help everything run smoothly.”

Despite the establishment’s success, Hazel and her team are keen to continue to work on the property as they look towards a bright and exciting future.

“In order to build upon our current success, we have created an outdoor wedding space amongst the trees for a wonderfully natural Central to ensuring everyone alternative setting. We are also receives the service they need, busy developing our atmospheric Hazel is keen to emphasise the vaulted brick basement as a firm’s strong focus on excellence, dining and meeting space. Finally, with a core aim to provide the we will be opening a high tech very highest standard of customer immersive training room as a service. unique addition for our corporate clients.”

“Here at Hirst Priory, our mission Company: Hirst Priory is to be the ultimate wedding Name: Hazel Wheatley Email: hazel@hirstpriory.co.uk and events venue. We focus Web Address: www.hirstpriory.co.uk strongly on customer service, Address: Hirst Priory, Crowle, North treating clients as the individuals Lincolnshire, DN17 4BU they are and by being as flexible Telephone: 01724 897270

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Best Horticulture Seed Provider Argentina

K Florensa Argentina is a producer, importer and exporter of horticultural seeds. We invited Natalia Florensa to tell us more.

Since its foundation as a family business in 1942, Florensa has been committed to a focus on innovation and development in order to provide adequate and appropriate responses to the specific needs of each region it operates in. Natalia outlines how the firm has come to achieve this impressive success.

“Here at Florensa, our main clients are professional growers of the fruit and vegetable sector, processing industries, shops located in different parts of our country and outside the country and of course the hobby market.

“The services we offer we do it through our engineers in the field by consulting custom, the monitoring of the crops, approaching new varieties and recommending techniques permanently. We train the growers through talks and demonstration days at the field, ensuring that they are able to offer our clients the very best support and advice. It is the dedication of our staff, together with our perseverance and commitment to excellence, that has led us to the success we enjoy today.”

Looking ahead, globalisation has and will continue to change the market and lead to exciting opportunities, as Natalia concludes.

“With the globalization the business has changed. Today you have to have a proper planning, with strategies that must anticipate or provide different scenarios. The big companies buy each other to search master the markets in the world, but in spite of this are still creating small companies with interesting projects of genetic improvement.

“The trend in the vegetable market of Argentina is to optimize the surfaces of sowing through the seeds technology, machinery, chemicals and irrigation; for this reason, we are monitoring the market on a permanent basis and working on offering our best available product for each necessity. This will be our ongoing focus as we continue to build our brand and support our clients.”

Contact: Natalia Florensa Contact Email: natalia@florensa.com.ar Company: Florensa Argentina Address: Calle de la Semillería 1315, Córdoba, 1315, Argentina Phone: 0054 351 496 1500

INDUSTRY INSIGHT MONTHLY

Best Pet Veterinary Practice - South Lanarkshire & Award for Excellence in Pet Behavioural Services

K Nethan Valley Veterinary Centre (NVVC) is a small animal veterinary practice based in the village of Lesmahagow that specialises in veterinary behavioural medicine. We caught up with Practice Principal Dr Claire Corridan to find out more.

Established just under five years ago, NVVC initially started working from a caravan and visiting clients in their own homes, before obtaining a premises in February 2012, starting out with 1 consulting room and tiny waiting area. Today NVVC has a vibrant and colourful reception and retail space and three consulting rooms, one specially designed for cats, one for dogs and one dedicated to veterinary nursing clinics. Claire outlines the firm’s focus on the bond between people and their pets and how the firm works to support this.

“Here at NVVC, we promote the idea that to enjoy a happy relationship with our pets, we all need to ensure the health and welfare of those pets are cared for too. I personally hold a PhD in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, studying the human- dog bond for my PhD thesis. It is my belief that veterinary medicine is about more than the physical appearance of any animal, and that their emotional and social needs are just as important as their physical health. Although we are happy to help clients who are experiencing behavioural issues with their pets, we are just as keen to help with behavioural prophylaxis- whereby advising clients on the specific and individual needs of their pets will help to ensure development of undesirable behaviours can be avoided.

Moving forward, the practice is keen to build upon its current success and grow in order to provide a wider variety of services to clients, as Claire concludes.

“Looking ahead, our future plans include installation of pet friendly wards complete with cat or dog TV and webcams so that owners can check in on their pets any time of day/night.

We hope to expand our veterinary behaviour referral services to include 1:1 and group dog training sessions, as well as the provision of behavioural and welfare driven CPD for both pet owners and other members of the veterinary profession.

Company: Nethan Valley Veterinary Centre Contact: Dr Claire Corridan BVMS PhD MRCVS Address: 5 Langdykeside, Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0EY Phone: 01555 89548301555 895483 E-mail: info@nethanvets.com Web: www.nethanvets.com

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Best for Agriculture Studies 2017 - South West England & Award for Excellence in Veterinary Studies - South West England

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT MONTHLY

K Hartpury College and University Centre is one of the UK’s leading land-based, equine, animal and sports education establishments. We spoke to the Head of Vet Nursing, Catherine Phillips, to find out more.

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Originally established after World War II as an agricultural education centre with only 50 students, Hartpury College and University Centre now has over 3500 students studying a variety of courses, from Diplomas and A-levels to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in animal, agriculture, equine and sport.

Catherine outlines the current range of veterinary nursing courses they offer, which, combined with the very best facilities and support possible, enables students to go further in their careers.

Company: Hartpury College & University Centre Contact: Catherine Phillips Contact Email: Catherine.phillips@hartpury.ac.uk Address: Hartpury House, Hartpury, Gloucester, GL19 3BE, UK Phone: 01452 702345 Web Address: www.hartpury.ac.uk

“Here at Hartpury, we have a reputation for producing high quality, professional veterinary nurses who benefit from our extensive on-site facilities, opportunities to get hands on with a wide range of small animals and horses as well as excellent work placement opportunities. We take great pride in our specialised provision which gives our students access to veterinary specialists in their area of expertise as well as industry experts. They have access to outstanding facilities such as our Equine Therapy Centre and Canine Hydrotherapy Suite, providing students with a unique experience, all on one specialist campus.”

Currently there is a national shortage of Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons registered Veterinary Nurses. As such, Hartpury strives to ensure that it produces experienced and capable graduates who can help to

serve the needs of the veterinary industry, Catherine emphasises.

“Our students have a unique opportunity to benefit from Hartpury’s outstanding facilities, including a veterinary nursing clinical skills area, Equine Therapy Centre, small animal house, hydrotherapy treadmill and pool, and commercial farm.

“In addition, our links with Veterinary Nursing Training Practices throughout the UK provide not only opportunities for students to engage with clinical coaches and real clinical cases while completing their training, but also allows them to develop lifelong professional relationships with their peers and future employers.”

Hartpury’s newly launched Diploma in Professional Studies Veterinary Nursing, a work-based qualification, is part of its work to support the evolution of the veterinary nursing qualifications that it offers in order to best serve the needs of the industry.

“Recently we have validated a unique work-based veterinary nursing qualification which allows students to develop their nursing skills in an approved veterinary nursing training practice. The programme requires students to attend Hartpury one day per week while filling the rest of their time with training through our virtual learning environment on the job.

This latest programme will provide us with many great opportunities to support a wider range of students.”

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Best Pesticide Research & Education Agency - Europe

Company: International Pesticide Application Research Centre (Consortium) (IPARC) Name: Graham Matthews Email: g.matthews@imperial.ac.uk Web Address: www.iparc.org.uk Address: IPARC, Imperial College, London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK Telephone: +44 (0) 207 594 2234 Future address: IPARC, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT MONTHLY

K International Pesticide Application Research Centre (Consortium) (IPARC) emphasise practical and costeffective techniques to manage pests, while reducing the use of chemical pesticides and promoting the efficacy of natural processes and alternative biological agents. We caught up with Graham Matthews to find out more about the firm and its vital work.

Drawing on over 60 years of experience in the industry, IPARC utilises its long history to achieve its overall aim: to improve crop protection through R&D and training to achieve safer, responsible and more efficient use of pesticides.

Graham outlines the firm’s history and explains how it works to ensure that its clients receive the very best support.

“IPARC was created in 1955 by the UK Government to train staff in the safe and efficient use of pesticides. At the same time, it began evaluating equipment for the World Health Organisation and assisting with the development of their Guidelines and Specifications for different methods of application. We have worked with manufacturers to provide practical and cost-effective techniques to manage pests and vectors of devastating human diseases (such as malaria and onchocerciasis), reducing the use of chemical pesticides and promoting the efficiency of natural processes and alternative biological agents. Our multi-disciplinary approach to the use of pesticides affect not only farmers and other users, but the whole environment. Our unique combination of: technological expertise, on-site specialist testing and R & D facilities, field experience in many countries and training opportunities for post graduate students from many countries in UK and overseas has been a key to what we have achieved.

“The agency maintains a unique position as an independent centre providing cutting-edge research, training and advisory services on pesticide application for farmers,

intermediaries, policy makers and industry worldwide - with consultancies to date handled

by Imperial Consultants, a subsidiary of Imperial. Throughout our time we have provided training courses, in the UK and overseas, to promote the use of optimal pesticide application equipment and techniques as part of integrated pest management programmes. These courses have been for international organisations, e.g. FAO, UNIDO, WHO, major companies, e.g. ICI (now Syngenta), ASPEE, India and academia e.g. Universities in Nigeria, Trinidad and Zimbabwe.”

In Cameroon, a NGO – the Yaounde Foundation Initiative (YIF) was established to provide an integrated programme on vector control affecting human health to aid agricultural development.

In order to offer the very highest standards of education and support, IPARC is staffed by a collaborating team from a range of different academic, public and private sector organisations, including Imperial College, the Natural Resources Institute – University of Greenwich, CABI, and T L Wiles and Associates, to which staff at Harper Adams University is now added. Representatives from this diverse range of organisations bring a rich variety of institutional cultures and also linkages to a much wider range of technical expertise. The team has changed and evolved over the years, and will continue to do so in response to changing issues in the field of pesticide application and management and agricultural development more broadly, as Graham emphasises.

“Here at IPARC, we have historically been a small team and

only recruit those with appropriate qualifications and experience.

Collaborators are carefully selected on the basis of proven track records.”

Looking ahead, the biggest challenge within the industry will be to produce more food as the human population is expected to increase to nine billion by 2050.

Alongside this, there are climate changes that will affect weather patterns and new technologies involving genetic engineering that all need to be integrated to ensure agricultural production is sufficient, economic and sustainable. At the same time, pesticides will continue to have a role in control of vectors of disease.

With ever fewer conventional products and associated increased resistance pressure, application technology is too often overlooked as a means of relieving pressure and thus extending the life of our remaining crop protection tools.

Trends towards ever increasing urbanisation result in an ongoing requirement for new or improved methods of disease vector control in densely populated urban areas.

The rapid rate of technological development makes IPARC well placed to take effective action to develop applications utilising such advances in the pursuit of sustainable pest management systems.

Therefore, Graham is optimistic about the future as the firm seeks to build upon its current success through growth and expansion in order to meet these challenges.

“Currently we are in the process of moving IPARC to a new location at Harper Adams University, which has well renowned Agricultural

Engineering and Entomology departments, with a similar philosophy as IPARC to optimise pesticide use where needed.

“Building on the characteristic focus of IPARC on forthcoming needs and challenges, work is underway to ensure that it will become the hub for an international network of associated application specialists.

Although they will remain distinct organisations, this will initially be achieved through the close association and collaboration with the existing Centre for Integrated Pest Management at HAU, which will bring with it ongoing applied research into sustainable agriculture on four continents. The new venue is in farming country rather than in a London commuter location.

“The relocation facilitates the integration with state-of –the-art research into UAVs currently ongoing at HAU, and thriving ongoing research into novel IPM systems being used in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

Dedicated facilities will ensure that the unique combination of entomology and engineering research that has been the core part of the work of IPARC will continue to thrive in its new environment at HAU. “Overall, this expansion will allow us to better serve our clients and provide them with the support they need. IPARC will also take advantage of and contribute to the established network of universities and institutes across North and South America, Europe and Asia, currently involved in crop production, vector control and engineering research ongoing at HAU.”

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Best for FullCycle Farming Innovations & Excellence Award for Biological Products in Agriculture - 2017

Untreated (Same Field. Same Day)

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT MONTHLY

K Nova-Q Ltd is a biotech company which helps clients, including farmers and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant operators, optimise their biological processes through the supply of wide ranging biological products and application techniques designed to meet the challenge at hand.

Managing Director Julian Beatty comments on the firm’s success and its ongoing commitment to development and continued achievement.

“It was great to be nominated for these awards, but to win two awards is really special. We’ve

worked hard, with the enormous help and support of our local distributor, leading crop nutrition company Nutrel Products, to show farmers what value they can get from managing and adding to the biology in their soil. We have also gone to great lengths to help farmers unlock the value in their agricultural wastes such as slurry and digestate.”

As well as being a biotech company, Nova Q are also dedicated to continuous improvement, not only in terms of the products on offer, but how they are applied. “Learning lessons in one application and passing those to adjacent ones is an important strategy,” says Beatty. “Most of our products were developed in the USA for water treatment and are now being widely adopted in agriculture, compost and AD.” The Excellence in Biological Products Award was given for the AquaClean™ range of biological products. These are natural products with organic certification but being liquid, stable and ready to use makes them ideal for the time strapped farmer. What sets AquaClean™ products apart, however, is the diversity of bacteria species leading to diversity of application, both in terms of crop response and waste treatment.

Nova Q, with Nutrel, have seen positive response in virtually all application areas. Properly replicated independent studies in Lincolnshire spring barley have shown a significant improvement in yield when compared to the normal farm programme.

Similar studies in the Netherlands on potato crops have also been very positive: AquaClean™ was

recently selected for extended study having finished in the top three of an 11 product independent trial with little to separate the top products across the trial. Field work on fodder beet has also been extremely positive but it is the work done with digestate that may ultimately make the headlines. Here, trials have been carried out on maize as an energy crop comparing normal farm programme with digestate to a similar programme with digestate, AquaClean™ bacteria and foliar feed from Nutrel. Results have not only shown a significant impact on the crop response, but also in terms of how well the crop suits the AD process for the farmer.

There is little doubt that biological products play a part in the future of Agriculture. Recent trends towards removal of many chemical biocides, farm to fork tracking, reduced ploughing and full cycle farming all point towards better soil biology and more biological products. The new EU fertiliser regulations appear to support this trend but how they evolve in the face of Brexit is a challenge.

Until recently, the trend towards all things environmental seemed to have gathered such momentum as to be unstoppable. However, both the Conservative Government and the Trump Administration have raised serious challenges in this area.

Ultimately Nova-Q believe that the future for the agricultural market will be driven by profits. The rise in the costs of urea fertiliser and soon to be depleted phosphorous will focus the minds of farmers to the overall cost of inputs. Nova Q sees slurry and manure as a most

precious resource that should be carefully managed and optimised.

“We often see slurry agitated for hours and then applied with a splash plate – most of the nutrient going to atmosphere rather than to the crop”. Comments Beatty. “today I met a farmer who aerates his slurry to keep it fluid and is wondering why he has lost 70% of his nitrogen. These practices have to stop.”

The culture in Nova Q, as the name suggests, is all about innovation. This is not just reflected in the attitude of the team, but in the interaction with both customers and suppliers. Nova Q leads the distribution of AquaClean™ products in the EU and continually challenges the Technical Team in the US to enhance the products for new applications, with several new offerings in AD and water treatment currently being tested.

Looking ahead, Nova Q’s future plans revolve around developing the sales of AquaClean™ throughout Europe and continue to preach the virtues of full cycle farming. This is most likely to develop alongside renewable energy as the AD industry is faced with shrinking tariffs and a need to find process efficiencies.

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A relative newcomer to the agri-biotech sector, Nova Q has certainly made a mark.

Established in 2010 in Dublin, this innovative SME is all about connecting the best available technologies with the greatest challenges facing target sectors today. In short, Nova Q helps farmers and plant operators, from AD to waste water, optimise and get most value from their biological processes. Julian Beatty, Managing Director at Nova Q states his pride at winning this prestigious award and discusses the reasons for the firm’s success.

Company: Nova-Q Ltd Contact: Julian Beatty Contact Email: innovation@nova-q.ie Address: B21 KCR Industrial Estate, Kimmage, Dublin, D12 X278, Ireland Phone: 00353 1 2542 276 Website: www.nova-q.ie

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