Farmers Weekly Awards 2026: Arable Adviser of the Year
Joe Cluley © Oli Lees The Farmers Weekly 2026 Arable Adviser of the Year Joe Cluley is challenging conventional crop management by putting plant physiology, nutrition and whole-farm systems at the heart of his decision-making.
Working across 8,100ha, with a further 2,000ha receiving strategic advice, Indigro agronomist Joe supports 26 farming businesses across central, southern and eastern England, spanning conventional, organic and regenerative systems.
Some 71% of the area under his management is farmed regeneratively.
See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2026 Arable Adviser of the Year finalists
As head of soils, systems and nutrition at Indigro, Joe’s influence extends beyond his own clients, helping shape the company’s technical direction and supporting its team of 10 agronomists through training, field days and technical guidance.
Data-led agronomy
Joe’s agronomy has evolved from traditional crop management towards what he describes as “plant physiology and nutrition-led management”.
A key tool is plant sap analysis. Over three years, he has developed Indigro’s in-house dataset from repeated sampling across different soils, crops, systems and growing seasons.
He combines this with crop observations, soil data and on-farm investigations to identify nutritional constraints and develop farm-specific programmes.
“I’m not chasing sap figures, I’m chasing outcomes,” Joe says. “The objective is to understand what’s limiting crop performance and remove those constraints.”
This approach has also extended to insect management, where he has replaced insecticide applications with targeted nutrition programmes across 400ha.
Farm facts
- Advises growers across 26 farms in central, southern and eastern England
- Started in agriculture as a farmhand on an arable farm, earning £5 an hour during summer holidays
- Worked on tomato, celery, cotton and broadacre farms during a gap year in Australia
- Built Indigro’s plant sap analysis interpretation guide from scratch
- Developed nutrition-led strategies that helped growers manage 400ha of oilseed rape and beans without insecticides
These have resulted in aphid and caterpillar desiccation within 24-36 hours, with trial work now exploring whether the same approach can be applied to autumn aphids.
His work with regenerative farming business Overbury Farms, in Gloucestershire, has provided an important platform for developing and testing ideas around nutrition, plant physiology and system design.
“A lot of people focus on regenerative farming through soil alone, but Joe brings a deeper understanding of plant nutrition and physiology,” says Jake Freestone, farm manager at Overbury Farms.
“He’s constantly looking at how we can push systems further and make them perform better.”
At CF Morris Farming in Buckinghamshire, sap analysis of wheat highlighted a magnesium supply issue linked to high soil potassium levels.
Joe subsequently developed a more cost-effective magnesium strategy and a bespoke foliar nitrogen programme for the farm’s milling wheat.
Over the last two harvests, despite challenging growing conditions, carefully considered nutrition and crop management have helped stabilise yields and milling quality.
Knowledge sharing
Beyond his client base, Joe created Indigro’s plant sap interpretation guide, leads technical training, supports colleagues with client-specific nutrition strategies and runs a company-wide sap benchmarking initiative.
He has presented to farming teams at Bidwells and Fisher German, spoken at Indigro’s client conference and shared practical insights through social media, with individual posts reaching almost 20,000 people.
By combining plant data, soil health, nutrition, crop protection and systems design, Joe is helping his clients improve efficiency, resilience and profitability while pushing agronomy in a new direction.
Winning ways
- Innovative approach to agronomy using sap analysis to identify and address plant nutrient deficiencies
- Embracing non-chemical control methods to fit a non-insecticide methodology
- Assisting clients with a transition away from conventional chemistry
- Sharing his knowledge both internally at Indigro and to a wider audience
What the judges say
Joe is transforming crop management by placing plant physiology and nutrition at the heart of whole-farm systems, expertly utilising sap analysis and regenerative practices to slash insecticide use, boost resilience and drive grower profitability.
The other finalists
- Steven Mears, Crop Management Partners, Dorset
- Gabe Mellor, Huntapac, Lincolnshire
The Farmers Weekly 2026 Arable Adviser of the Year Award is sponsored by Nichino
The Farmers Weekly Awards celebrate the very best of British agriculture by recognising hard-working and innovative farmers across the UK.
Find out more about the Awards, the categories and sponsorship opportunities on the Farmers Weekly Awards website.