Your Upstream Thinking 3 Farm Advisors
Wendy has a background in agri-environment advice alongside a variety of practical farming experience. She is particularly passionate about producing healthy food for the community with good soil health at the heart of the system – you may well see her with a spade in her hand in a field near you soon.
Most recently, Wendy worked on the farming team for the National Trust alongside milking goats at Old Parsonage Farm, Dartington. Before that, she completed a traineeship as a small-scale horticultural grower at School Farm, Devon.
Contact:
07943 739671
Yog is an experienced farm advisor and catchment officer, joining the trust to continue his work in the Otter catchment as part of South West Water’s Upstream Thinking Initiative. In this advisory role, he is able to draw on experience gained from working for the Environment Agency, FWAG and growing up on a farm.
This experience has provided him with in-depth knowledge of best farm practice and the measures to address diffuse pollution, as well as an appreciation of the financial and environmental benefits from the farmer’s perspective. Yog is also knowledgeable of the grants and support mechanisms available to support implementation of the advice.
Contact:
07854 145896
Rafael oversees the delivery of the Upstream Thinking Project for the Tavy, Upper Lyd, Lew and Dart catchments. His background is in environmental biology, community-based forestry and agroforestry.
Rafael is currently conducting a PhD in Ecology and Agri-environmental research within the University of Reading, looking at the environmental, social, and ecological impacts of integrating trees in farms in England.
Contact:
07939 827040
Ross has been working at Westcountry Rivers Trust for the past 19 years, offering advice and guidance to farmers to help them improve their farming practices to save money and protect habitats.
He has been a nationally recognised Cross Compliance Specialist and has been working with South West Water on Upstream Thinking since 2009. Ross is an infrastructure nutrient and NFM specialist with a passion for farming, rivers and habitats.
Contact:
07815 291147
Originally from a beef and sheep farm in Stoke Climsland, James has 19 years’ experience of farm management of arable, grassland and college farms, including a significant amount of practical experience.
He has been developing and testing cover crops, direct drilling, legumes, herbal lays and organic manures for a number of years and following reading Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown. Recently he has also been involved in three CS Mid Tier applications.
He plans to bring this knowledge and experience, and of the local area, to all those that he works with through the UST project.
Contact:
07896 993071
Simon started working as a senior farm adviser in 2022, taking the lead in the Tamar catchment where he gives advice to landowners and farmer on how UST3 can help their business. Having lived and worked within the agricultural industry of the Tamar Valley all his life, Simon has an affinity with the area and the people who earn a living from the land.
His experience ranges from practical farming to farm business benchmarking and latterly farm scale grazing livestock and grassland research. All this experience and knowledge has led to an interest in how grazing livestock and dairy farms can be both productive and profitable while achieving environmental improvements.
Contact:
07949 517155
John is a Senior Natural Capital Advisor specialising in farm advice to deliver nature-based solutions across different catchments. With a background in agricultural research, he has interests in soil health, manure and slurry management, and integrated farm management. He also has expertise in nutrient management planning and crop protection.
Contact:
07498 431618
Karen joined WRT in 2023 as a Farm Advisor with an interest in helping farmers improve their farm’s resilience by helping them access grants and information that can save them money, reduce inputs and lead to increasing environmental benefits.
Originally from a dairy farming family in North Devon, she’s always been interested in the farmed environment and wildlife. She has a background in agricultural research including work on herbal leys, nitrogen use efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, silage, soil analysis, water quality monitoring, and slurry treatments.
Contact:
07949 517068
Other Members of the Upstream Thinking 3 Team
Annabel has recently taken on the role of Senior Project Manager for Upstream Thinking, after having worked on the project as a farm advisor for the last 7 years.
Annabel started farm advisory work in 2002 in West Cornwall, and since then has worked with farmers from all sectors – daffodils and field vegetables, through to intensive dairy and upland livestock – but always with a focus on reducing diffuse pollution, improving soil health, and increasing biodiversity interest.
Contact:
07805 773932
Rachel’s role involves supporting the UST 3 team to provide interventions across the catchment, including nature-based solutions and infrastructural improvements, with the aim of improving water quality and biodiversity outcomes. Day-to-day she is involved in soil sampling and water quality monitoring to assess the health of catchments, assisting with farm visits, and report writing.
She has a background in both wildlife conservation and environmental economics, with previous experience in public engagement, biodiversity monitoring and management. Her background has been inspired by and nurtured a keen interest in nature-based solutions, ecosystem service delivery and ecosystem functioning.
Contact:
07376 019168
Mel is the project administrator for Upstream Thinking 3 and the Green Recovery Project for the Tavy Catchment. She has a varied background including scientific research in earth sciences and environmental change, council and project administration and strong family links with farming.
Contact:
07939 826927
Jay started working as a Junior Natural Capital Advisor in 2022 after completing her studies at Cardiff University in Environmental Geoscience. Her role involves supporting the UST 3 team with impact project monitoring; including water quality testing, soil sampling and mapping.
Having grown up in Cornwall, Jay has a love for her community and uses her local knowledge to work collaboratively with people and organisations to move towards safer, more sustainable communities and landscapes.
Contact:
07376 019167