Libby Rowland- Where are they now

Libby Rowland is Research and Development Officer for herbs at Vitacress - a fresh produce supplier, specialising in watercress, salads and fresh herbs. She was offered the position during her time as a PhD student with Taylor Lab, during which she was funded by J Sainsbury’s to improve irrigation practice in pot herb production. This was part of the more crop per drop project.Her experiments were conducted in Vitacress’ commercial glasshouses and thus she gained a unique insight into commercial horticulture and the challenges posed to the industry.

Her current role at Vitacress allows her to apply the skills learned during her PhD to improve efficiency and sustainability of everyday practices within the business including, but not limited to: searching for more sustainable substrates; improving irrigation efficiency and trialling new herb varieties. She is also responsible for making sure the company meet the LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) Marque standard, which is a farm assurance system that demonstrates a producers’ awareness of the environment and sustainable practice. Libby will be presenting at the LEAF Marque Summit 2019.

Since joining Vitacress, Libby has been awarded a place in the first cohort of the LSA Charitable Trust Fellowship Scheme, which aims to develop the next leaders of the commercial horticulture industry. The two-year scheme will increase the fellows' understanding of the role played by trade bodies and various committees in development of strategy and government communications, as well as increase their knowledge of current research, by funding their attendance at conferences and technical meetings. The scheme is being supported by the National Famers’ Union (NFU), British Growers Association, The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB). For more information on Libby's new fellowship read more here.

LinkedIn: Libby Rowland
Twitter: @LibbyHerbs
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Author: Libby Rowland