RAGT Seeds UK appoints Jack Holgate as Arable Products Manager

RAGT Seeds UK has appointed Jack Holgate as arable products manager to further raise the profile of the company’s fast developing and diverse combinable crops portfolio.

RAGT has been at the forefront of plant breeding in recent years, launching a series of highly successful breakthrough varieties including Skyfall, a pioneering milling wheat with feed wheat yields, and RGT Planet spring barley, believed to be most widely grown cereal variety in the world.

More recent developments include Europe’s first and only commercial BYDV-resistant wheats and a relaunched oilseed rape programme that will deliver a range of robust, high yielding material.

″It’s a really exciting time to be joining RAGT,″ said Jack. ″As well as looking after the existing range of varieties, I’m very much looking forward to working with merchant customers and growers to develop opportunities for the exceptional new material emerging from our innovative plant-breeding programmes.

″RAGT is a global company and is making great strides as a business, developing varieties with a range of robust traits that will helping growers maintain profitable crop production in the face of increasing economic, environmental and legislative challenges.

″I feel very fortunate to be joining RAGT at time when so much is changing within the sector.″

Jack has built up a wealth of experience in the arable crops sector, joining RAGT after a three-year spell with Elsoms Seeds, firstly as crop manager and then as national sales manager for non-royalty crops.

Before that he worked for Openfield for four years. He joined as a shipping and compliance officer before taking on responsibility for the small seeds account across the business. This followed a two-year spell working as a shipping agent at Port of Boston.

RAGT Seeds UK managing director Lee Bennett said: ″I’ve known Jack for quite a few years, and in that time he has developed into to being a very capable operator.

″He has a high level of technical expertise, commercial acumen and is an excellent communicator. His skills will be invaluable in strengthening our relationships with merchant customers and UK growers and building our position in the market.″