Sencrop has opened its first UK office, located at NIAB’s Barn4 AgriTech Incubator in Cambridge. According to Mark Herriman, sales account executive for the company, the move is a great opportunity for Sencrop and NIAB to collaborate.
“It is a very positive step. NIAB has a long history of scientific research and Sencrop can help with bringing some of that research to farmers. For example, NIAB has been working on a potato yield model which could be integrated into the Sencrop app.”
Charles Gentry, NIAB digital account manager, noted that Sencrop has a potato blight decision support tool, which could benefit from NIAB’s data on variety susceptibility.
“We will have direct access to station information and will be able to feed local data to NIAB agronomists to aid their on-farm decision-making.”
Sencrop co-founder and general manager Martin Ducroquet added: “There are many opportunities to bring together the ag-weather data Sencrop gathers with NIAB’s UK farming know-how to create and improve agronomic indicators for arable crops like wheat, barley and oilseeds. This will allow growers to reduce their crop risks and agronomists to bring them more personalised service.”
Mr Herriman also sees opportunities in UK’s viticultural sector. “The UK vineyard market is very exciting now. There are 900 vineyards, 500 of which operate on a commercial basis.
“Taking East Anglia, there are vineyards in Norfolk, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire. It is partly climate change that is leading farmers to grow vines, but they are also taking advantage of soil types similar to those in the French wine regions. We will be developing new disease modelling with NIAB.”
Mr Gentry added: “We are seeing more and more vineyards being planted. As these grow, it is the perfect opportunity to get invested in the right tech to help produce the best crop.”
“It offers flexible office and lab space which allows start-ups to grow, and NIAB can help with any guidance needed on the UK agricultural market,” said Mr Gentry.
Mr Herriman adds: “It is an interesting time. Having a UK base will bring lots of opportunities, and being able to collaborate with NIAB means there will be many exciting projects on the horizon.”