What Scottish Agronomy Ltd does

Scottish Agronomy Ltd is a private, farmer-owned cooperative founded in 1985 and headquartered at Arlary Farm, Milnathort, Scotland. It delivers independent agronomy advisory, membership services, and crop research to arable and potato growers across Scotland. The cooperative represents over 250 farmer and trade associate members, served by roughly 11 full-time staff supplemented with seasonal summer students, and operates what it describes as the largest field trials programme in Scotland — over 20,000 trials plots (approximately 25,000 harvested cereal plots plus 2,000 potato plots per season), of which it is also the largest supplier of data to the AHDB Recommended List Variety Trials in Scotland. The member base spans all major Scottish arable regions from Easter Ross to the Borders.

The service portfolio is structured around tiered membership: Crop Manager (full agronomy decision-making handover with routine inspections, written recommendations, Gatekeeper prescriptions, and FACTS-qualified fertiliser advice), 1-to-1 and 1-to-1 Plus (intensive one-to-one advisory), Group Membership (monthly local agronomy groups of 8–12 farmers), Knowledge Hub (technical bulletins and trial results), Potato Agronomy Service, Trade Associate Membership, and a lower-cost information-only cereals tier. Supplementary fee-for-service revenue is generated through FBAASS/PAS 2050-certified Carbon Auditing (priced within a Scottish Government £500 grant), ad hoc advisory billed at hourly rates, the multi-part "Healthy Soils Connected" educational course, FarmBench-based Business Groups & Benchmarking, and R&D project income from publicly funded consortia (Innovate UK, AHDB) and partners such as McCain, James Hutton Institute, Harper Adams University, Grampian Growers, PGRO, Innovative Farmers, GWCT, Syngenta, and CHAP.

All distribution is direct and field-based: agronomist-led crop walking, on-farm consultations, group meetings, trial open days, and an annual conference. The company's stated differentiator is independence — no commercial interest in selling farm inputs — positioning it against commission-based agronomy providers. Technical IP includes integrated pest management (IPM) pipelines for seed potatoes (straw mulch delivering 40–59% virus control, precision sprayer camera technology delivering 77% chemical savings, chitinous soil amendment for PCN management), spray deposition optimisation research using Helios SC fluorescent dye and digital imaging, and PCN trap crop research. Geographic scope is exclusively Scotland, and ownership remains 100% farmer-controlled with no parent company, external investors, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Scottish Agronomy Ltd

Legal name

Scottish Agronomy Ltd

Website

https://scottishagronomy.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scottish Agronomy is a farmer-owned cooperative providing independent agronomic advisory, group meetings, and the largest Scottish field trials programme (20,000+ plots) to over 250 arable and potato members across Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Advisory Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Yield Optimization & Crop Performance Consulting (AFACABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Health & Regenerative Agronomy Consulting (AFACABAA), Sustainability & ESG / Carbon & Conservation Program Advisory (AFACAJAF)

Keywords

• Independent agronomy advice
• Field trials services
• Crop management consulting
• Potato agronomy services
• Carbon auditing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milnathort

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Farmer-owned cooperative generating primary revenue from tiered membership subscriptions. Membership levels include Crop Manager (full agronomy decision-making handover), 1-to-1, 1-to-1 Plus, Group Membership, Knowledge Hub, Potato Agronomy Service, and information-only cereals membership. Annual fees are charged per membership tier.
2. Agronomy Advisory Services: Ad hoc 1-to-1 agronomy support offered to members at an hourly rate beyond standard membership. Includes crop walking, input decisions, and season analysis.
3. Carbon Auditing: Fee-for-service carbon auditing using FBAASS-certified assessors, supporting members in accessing Scottish Government's £500 grant under the National Test Programme and Preparing for Sustainable Farming scheme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Scottish Agronomy is a farmer-owned cooperative that provides independent agronomic advisory services to over 250 farmer and trade associate members across Scotland. The company operates the largest field trials programme in Scotland with over 20,000 plots for combinable crops and potatoes, supplying the most data to AHDB for the Recommended List Variety Trials. Its offerings span tiered memberships (Crop Manager, 1-to-1, 1-to-1 Plus, Group Membership, Knowledge Hub, Potato Agronomy Service, and information-only cereals), ad hoc advisory services charged hourly, and carbon auditing under the Scottish Government's Preparing for Sustainable Farming scheme.

Product overview

Scottish Agronomy is a farmer-owned cooperative providing independent agronomy advice services to over 250 farmer and trade associate members across Scotland. The core offering consists of group advisory meetings for combinable crops and specialised potato agronomy services, supported by an extensive field trials programme spanning over 20,000 plots—the largest in Scotland. The membership structure ranges from basic Group Membership with monthly discussion meetings to Crop Manager (full-service agronomy handover) and 1-2-1/1-2-1 PLUS individual advisory options. All services are backed by the Knowledge Hub providing technical bulletins, trial results, open days, and annual conferences. Recent additions include Carbon Auditing Services and the Healthy Soils Connected Course to support members with sustainability and environmental compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Combinable Crop Agronomy Services (Group Membership) Advisory service for combinable crops delivered through monthly group meetings where members exchange ideas, share data, and receive trials-based agronomic advice from expert agronomists. Designed for Scottish arable farmers growing wheat, barley, oats, oilseed rape, and beans.
• Crop Manager Membership Full-service agronomy package where agronomists take over crop decision-making, including routine crop inspections, written recommendations via Gatekeeper software, Crop N-max calculations, FACTS-qualified fertiliser advice, group meeting access, Knowledge Hub, and email/telephone support. Designed for Scottish arable farmers seeking full agronomy decision-making handover.
• Potato Agronomy Service Specialised agronomy advice and support for potato growers, including seed potato inspections, integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, virus control research, and access to PCN management trials. Designed for Scottish potato growers including seed potato producers supplying processors such as McCain.
• Field Trials Programme Extensive field trials programme spanning over 20,000 plots across Scotland for combinable crops and potatoes — the largest in Scotland. Provides data to AHDB for the Recommended List Variety Trials and generates evidence-based agronomic recommendations for members. Approximately 25,000 harvested cereal plots and 2,000 potato plots conducted annually.
• Innovation & Research Research initiatives exploring new technologies and approaches including satellite-guided drills, biocontrols, cover crops, alternative disease management strategies, and IPM trials for seed potatoes. Designed for Scottish Agronomy members seeking cutting-edge agronomic innovation.
• Trade Associates Membership Membership tier for agricultural supply chain companies (seed suppliers, agrochemical distributors, fertiliser companies, machinery manufacturers) to access agronomic information, trial data, and network with grower members of the cooperative.
• Knowledge Hub Online membership portal providing technical bulletins, trials data, seasonal advice, access to open days, regional results meetings, and annual conference. Designed for Scottish Agronomy members as a digital resource between physical advisory visits.
• Carbon Auditing Service Carbon footprint assessment service using PAS 2050 certified calculators (Farm Carbon Calculator, Cool Farm Tool, Trinity AgTech Sandy, Agrecalc), conducted by FBAASS-certified advisors. Supports members in accessing the £500 Scottish Government grant under the National Test Programme and Preparing for Sustainable Farming scheme.
• Healthy Soils Connected Course Multi-part educational course helping growers understand soil functionality and adopt management practices suited to their farm conditions and changing climate. Designed for Scottish Agronomy members and growers seeking to improve soil management.
• 1-2-1 Advisory One-on-one agronomy consultations with tailored advice and crop walking for individual farmer members. Ad hoc support beyond standard membership entitlements is charged at an hourly rate.
• 1-2-1 PLUS Enhanced one-on-one advisory service with more intensive agronomist support and consultations than the standard 1-2-1 tier. Designed for Scottish farmer members requiring more frequent agronomist engagement.
• Business Groups & Benchmarking Peer-to-peer learning groups using FarmBench to analyse business performance, held across Borders, Central, and North-East regions with three meetings per year. Designed for Scottish Agronomy members seeking business benchmarking.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% control of PVYN using straw mulch alone
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Agronomy is the largest supplier of data to AHDB for the Recommended List Variety Trials in Scotland. This partnership generates the primary variety performance dataset used for national recommended list decisions, directly benefiting Scottish Agronomy's farmer members with locally relevant trial data.
• PGRO (Processors & Growers Research Organisation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with PGRO on bean variety trials across Scotland (East Lothian to Easter Ross) to generate Scottish-specific information on winter hardiness, plant counts, flowering and maturity dates, and yield analysis. Builds on existing PGRO variety research programmes.
• Innovative FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in on-farm split-field bean trials from East Lothian to Easter Ross. Innovative Farmers is a UK-wide network supporting farmer-led research, providing peer coordination and funding support for the trials.
• YEN (Yield Enhancement Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Scottish Agronomy members have won YEN awards (Donald Ross, Hugo Lee, Mark McCallum, James Hopkinson). Scottish Agronomy's trials support members in understanding their yield potential through YEN's yield benchmarking methodology.
• McCain PotatoescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcCain Potatoes is a strategic partner in seed potato trials including the AHDB Strategic Potato Farm (sPot) project. They provide support for IPM trials, supply chain perspective, and variety evaluation. Jim Reid supplies seed potatoes exclusively to McCain.
• Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGWCT is a partner in the SPot farm IPM trials at Morphie near Montrose, contributing expertise on wildflower strips and natural predator management for aphid control in seed potatoes.
• James Hutton InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on late blight monitoring (EuroBlight project), IPM research, nematode management, and seed potato health. Dr David Cooke coordinates EuroBlight and provides genotype analysis. Institute also collaborates on beneficial nematode and microbial community assessment.
• Harper Adams UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarper Adams University, through Dr Matt Back (Reader in Nematology), collaborates on cover crop and nematode management research including Solanum trap crop evaluation and root-lesion nematode studies. PhD student Vongai Chekanai leads field trials in Scotland.
• Grampian GrowerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish farming co-operative backing the three-year nematode research project alongside Scottish Agronomy. Grampian Growers hosts field experiments near Montrose for nematode management in daffodils and potatoes. Exports 4,000 tonnes of daffodil bulbs and 60 million flower stems annually.
• HL Hutchinson LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the three-year nematode project investigating sustainable cover crop options for managing soil-borne nematode populations in daffodils and potatoes.
• KingsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SPot farm IPM trials contributing cover crop and wildflower strip expertise for integrated pest management in seed potatoes.
• SyngentaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSyngenta collaborated on spray nozzle evaluation trials (3D ninety nozzle development) and provided computer software for digital analysis of spray deposition in potato canopies. Also partnered on SPot farm IPM trials.
• CHAP (Crop Health and Protection)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment-funded research partner in the Solanum trap crop consortium investigating performance of three Solanum species against potato cyst nematodes at sites in England.
• Produce SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Solanum cover crop varieties (DeCyst Prickly, DeCyst Broadleaf, DeCyst Podium) for PCN trap crop research as part of the Innovate UK-funded consortium.
• Vegetable Consultancy ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in the Solanum trap crop consortium investigating PCN management options.
• Scottish Government / Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF)coreOthersScottish Government's National Test Programme provides funding for carbon auditing (£500 grant) and soil sampling (20% of region 1 land at £30/Ha per annum). Scottish Agronomy supports members in accessing this funding through its FBAASS-certified advisory service.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Velcourt: Velcourt is a UK farm management and agronomy services provider offering contracted agronomy, crop walking, and trials-based advice to arable farmers. Comparable to Scottish Agronomy's Crop Manager service in particular, with a similar consultancy-plus-trials model.
• Agrii: Agrii is one of the UK's largest agronomy service providers offering independent advice, trials, and crop production support to arable farmers. Directly comparable to Scottish Agronomy in advisory scope, although it operates nationally and is owned by Origin Enterprises rather than being farmer-owned.
• Frontier Agriculture: Frontier is a leading UK crop production and grain marketing business offering agronomy advice, trials (SmartAG.), and input supply. Comparable to Scottish Agronomy in delivering trials-backed agronomy to arable farmers, but with national scale and a vertically integrated grain marketing model.
• ADAS (RSK ADAS): ADAS is the UK's largest agricultural and environmental consultancy offering agronomy advice, trials, R&D, and policy support to farmers and government. Closely comparable to Scottish Agronomy in advisory and trials scope, though ADAS serves the whole UK and operates as part of RSK Group.
• Agrovista: Agrovista is a UK agronomy distributor and adviser providing crop protection advice, trials, and precision farming services. Directly comparable to Scottish Agronomy in serving arable growers with trials-validated recommendations, but with a national footprint and input distribution arm.
• Hutchinsons (HL Hutchinson Ltd): Hutchinsons is a national agronomy group providing independent crop production advice, the Helix national trials network, and digital tools like Omnia to UK arable farmers. Comparable to Scottish Agronomy in offering trials-backed agronomic advice; notably, Scottish Agronomy already partners with Hutchinsons on nematode research.

Emerging players

• SoilEssentials: SoilEssentials is a Scottish precision agriculture and soil management services provider offering soil sampling, precision agronomy, and crop trials. Directly comparable as a Scottish-based agronomy and soil-focused player, though with a narrower precision-farming focus.

Broad incumbents

• NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany): NIAB is a major UK crop science and agronomy organisation running variety trials, providing agronomic advice, and supplying AHDB Recommended List data — the same dataset Scottish Agronomy feeds. Overlaps in trials and advisory scope, but NIAB is a much larger, broader organisation with a national R&D mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scottishagronomyltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Agronomy Ltd