Agronomist, Kent
Consultant Bio
James co-owns and directs LEAF demonstration farm Nonington Farms. He created and ran a contract farming business, converting 4000 acres of arable land to regenerative agricultural systems.
Qualifications and experience
- Director, Nonington Farms
- Family farm, 23 years
- Arable farming contract business
- BSc Agricultural Business Management 2.2 Wye College, University of London
- FACTS & BASIS qualified
- Rural Leadership course
- LEAF mentoring programme, 2022
- LEAF marque certified
- LEAF demonstration farm, from June 2020
- Arable Farmer of the Year, 2022
- Environmental Champion, 2023
James, a qualified agronomist and FACTS and BASIS trained, is able to apply practical scientific solutions to farming businesses, including integrating livestock into an arable system, significantly and effectively reducing artificial N and sprays, growing cover crops, and creating carbon neutral/negative farming systems as a result.
He has extensive experience in trials research projects, grant applications, and uses this to provide sound financial and environmental management to farm businesses. James has won numerous awards for his work, including Arable Farmer of the year 2022 and Environmental Champion 2023.
Areas of expertise
Environmental Monitoring
Implementation of CSS and SFI agreements. Part of two local cluster groups. Responsible for monitoring environmental indicators on own farm and has use the Carbon Farm Tool kit (Trinity Sandy) for the last 5 years.
Farm Business Advice
Managed six contract farm businesses from growing crops, stewardship applications, cash flows and management accounts.
Other
Experience in succession planning personally, contract clients and local farmers. Set up premium sustainable grain contracts for our milling wheat and OSR. We have hosted many farmers events over the years and experienced in communicating to farmers.
