Who We Are

We’re a team of specialist potato agronomists and researchers

Our Team

James Lee

James was brought up on the family potato and vegetable farm in the West Midlands and gained an Honours Degree in Crop Protection from Newcastle University. He spent 12 years as a broad-acre agronomist before joining Greenvale as a Senior Potato Agronomist in 2001. James has subsequently had 24years of potato supply chain experience across fresh retail and processing sectors – working in many technical and management roles. James is currently Head of Agronomy for the Produce Solutions team. James is also a director of CUPGRA and sits on the Red Tractor Fresh Produce Board.

Head of Agronomy

Dr Bill Watts

Bill was brought up on a small beef and sheep farm in South Shropshire. He read and researched in crop sciences at Harper Adams University for 10 years. He is known for his PhD research on factors affecting biofumigation success against PCN, and more recently for his role in refining PCN trap crop agronomy. Bill worked at AHDB Potatoes for two years as Knowledge Exchange Manager for the West and Wales and has now been Trials Manager at Produce Solutions since 2020. He primarily focusses on development of new varieties, crop protection products and cropping techniques for the potatoes sector. He is also a member of CUPGRA’s Research and Development Committee.

Trials Manager

Fiona gained an Agricultural Zoology Degree from Leeds University and holds a postgraduate diploma in Crop Protection from Harper Adams. She spent several years in crop research and plant breeding before moving into practical agronomy, including 8 years with AP as a potato agronomist in Shropshire. Fiona then worked as a Technical Manager for MBM and went on to spend several years in the soft and top fruit industry, where she was heavily involved in auditing. She returned to Greenvale in 2012 as an agronomist, working with clients across Shropshire and Oxfordshire. Fiona was instrumental in the set-up and development of Crop4Sight and remains passionate about the role of crop modelling in improving agronomic decision-making

Senior Agronomist

Fiona Law-Eadie

Keith is a Norfolk-based agronomist with over 35 years’ experience in potato production. He graduated from Bangor University with a degree in Agriculture and began his career as a fieldsman for the Potato Marketing Board. Since joining Greenvale in 1996, Keith has become one of the business’s most experienced and respected agronomists. Working closely with growers across East Anglia, he provides practical, commercially focused advice on variety selection, nutrition, crop protection, irrigation, storage and quality, helping to maximise crop performance, profitability and long-term sustainability.

Senior Agronomist

Keith Chappell

Richard, known to colleagues and customers as Griff, brings decades of agricultural knowledge and hands-on experience to the business. Richard began his career in farming as a Farm Manager, a role he held from 1986 to 1992. This practical grounding gave him a strong understanding of crop production, farm management, and the day-to-day challenges faced by growers. In May 1992, Richard joined the business as a Trainee Agronomist, beginning what has become a long and varied career across multiple areas of the company. Over the years, he has held a number of key roles, building extensive expertise in agronomy, seed sales, procurement, and technical support. Richard’s broad experience gives him a unique perspective, combining commercial insight with technical expertise and practical field knowledge. In his current role, he focuses on trials agronomy and DeCyst sales, helping deliver innovative solutions and trusted advice to customers.

Senior Trials Agronomist & DeCyst Sales

Richard Griffith

Gracie was raised on a mixed farm in rural Pembrokeshire, with potato production forming the core of the family enterprise. She went on to study BSc Agriculture with Crop Management at Harper Adams University, graduating in 2020 with First Class Honours. Shortly after, she joined Produce Solutions as a Trainee Agronomist. In her current role, Gracie works closely with teams across the Greenvale business to deliver on internal projects and drives business development for Produce Solutions. Gracie is FACTS, BASIS and Advanced BASIS qualified, and contributes to the development of the next generation of agronomists by teaching on the Advanced Potato BASIS course.

Agronomy Manager

Gracie Tucker

Jake was brought up on a family farm in Norfolk, growing potatoes for packing and processing markets. He gained a First-Class Honours Degree in Agriculture from University of Reading. Jake joined Produce Solutions in April 2024, as a Trainee Trials Agronomist, having previously worked for Greenvale as a Processing Fieldsman while on placement from university. The trials work primarily covers new variety development, commercial agrochemical trials and trap crop trials. He also provides agronomy support to a number of agronomy clients and is currently working towards his BASIS certificate.

Research & Development Agronomist

Jake Caston

Tom was brought up on a small, family sheep farm in Cornwall, where a small amount of land was often rented out for potatoes and vegetables. He gained a First-Class Honours Degree in Agriculture with Crop Management from Harper Adams. Tom joined Produce Solutions after graduating in June 2022 as a Trainee Agronomist, covering both agronomy (fresh and processing crops) and trials. He has since becoming involved in commercial agrochemical trials, breeder trials and an IUK-funded project on DeCyst trap crops alongside providing agronomy support to growers in the West Midlands, primarily on potato crops and a small area of Beetroot. He holds both BASIS and FACTS certificates.

Potato Agronomist

Tom Eyles

Emily first became involved in agriculture when she was 16 and took on a harvest potato QC role on a local potato farm. She went on to study Agriculture with Farm Business Management at Harper Adams, continuing her involvement in the potato sector throughout her time there. Emily continued to develop her potato supply chain experience within the crisping sector in a technical role after graduating. This led to her completing her BASIS certificate in 2023 before joining Produce Solutions as an agronomist in East Anglia in 2024.

Agronomist

Emily Mayes-Miller

Neil is the grandson of a small mixed farmer in Cambridgeshire growing cereals, sugar beet and potatoes alongside pork and beef production. He began his career at Greenvale in 1998 on the factory floor and has since held positions in Quality Assurance, Auditing and Laboratory Management before becoming a Fieldsman and then Procurement manager, which he continued for ten years. He is responsible for store management for packing material. Neil joined Produce Solutions in 2025 to further his interest in agronomy and is currently undertaking BASIS training.

Agronomist

Neil Barnes

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