Meet the Consultant - David Ross
I’m David Ross, a Principal Consultant based in the Stonehaven office and part of the Arable Services Team. I have been with SAC Consulting for nearly 20 years, starting as a trainee in Stonehaven and working my way up through the ranks. A lot has changed within the office in those twenty years. We have expanded from three consultants to five, SAF applications have moved from paper to digital and client numbers have increased significantly. The one thing that hasn’t changed however is the support we give to the agricultural community.
I am from a family farm in Aberdeenshire and on completing my studies at Aberdeen University where I graduated with an Honours Degree in Agriculture, I went to Australia to complete a harvest and travel. This gave me a love of travelling and experience of farming systems very different to those seen here. Once back in the UK, I worked for an accountancy firm in Suffolk as their Farm Business Advisor helping with joint venture set ups, benchmarking and succession planning for many diverse businesses. There was always a draw to come back to Scotland, and in 2005 I started with SAC Consulting with a desire to blend what I had learned down south with a greater technical knowledge.
Today I have the role of Principal Consultant for Arable Services with most of my time split between three main areas; delivery of agronomy advice; supporting our agronomists through transfer of information from research; and managing delivery of our analytical services through our strategic partnership with Eurofins.
As an SAC Consulting agronomist, I offer independent agronomy services which look at the crops holistically. Each year there is a balance to find between the crop requirements and the current market conditions to maximise margin for the grower. With projections of tighter margins on all cereals for the next few years making the most of your agronomy spend will be key.
Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) infected fields are becoming a greater issue in the area, which is putting pressure on growers to lengthen rotations. This can take a bit of thought, and I am involved with quite a few businesses providing strategic advice around planning rotations to give balance both in disease management and financial return.
The agronomy advice given by SAC Consulting is heavily influenced by the research produced by our colleagues in SRUC and the trials work carried out by our three teams in Edinburgh, Ayr and Aberdeen. This research work supports both our agronomists on the ground and our potato team in their consultancy to farmers, seed houses and trade clients. Current research is a mix of near to market work on varieties and fungicides as well as looking forward to the use of biopesticides and how they fit into current production systems.
Over the last few years SAC Consulting has been in partnership with Eurofins (a global analytical company) to deliver analytical services around soil, organic waste, water, nematology and pathology. My role is to help manage the partnership as well as develop new tests and build business for the labs. In the months ahead it is hoped that new tests will be available which will help you get a better understanding of your soils and how they function.
I have experience in data collection and analysis both financial and technical from legacy monitor farms and business groups. I have also been involved in delivery of Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS) programme, and I am an experienced facilitator.
For several years, I have been involved alongside several farmers who have been interested in developing their farming systems to a more “regenerative” or “conservation” type system. This has involved both one to one advice and facilitation of peer-to-peer farmer groups which have helped them to hone their systems and transition from traditional systems. I have also been involved in research projects which have looked at the science behind the regen principles including, grazing winter cereals, cover crops and improving soil health to reduce the carbon footprint of malting barley.
The future of arable production in Scotland is not without its challenges, however by making sure you have the basics right and have a farming system that suits your farm, there are definite opportunities.
If you would like to discuss how SAC Consulting can help with your arable enterprises, then please get in touch.
David Ross, Principal Consultant, David.Ross@sac.co.uk
Unearthed is the exclusive SAC Consulting members' monthly newsletter. Unearthed offers insights and tips from our experts on what we think is in store for farming and crofting in the coming months in order to protect and enhance your business.
Posted by Unearthed News on 12/11/2025
