Archives: Team Members

Adam Twine

Posted on July 8, 2021 by -

I obtained a BSc in Agriculture from Reading University in 1983 and have farmed on the Oxon/Wilts border near Faringdon ever since. I am a tenant of the National Trust on 750 acres at Colleymore farm and a part owner of 450 acres at Westmill farm. The farm business has a 110 cow dairy herd, arable and beef enterprises, several alternative farm enterprises and a HLS scheme.

I have been working on renewable energy generation and energy saving on the farm for over twenty years ranging from a 5MW Solar PV installation (commissioned July 2011) to extensive use of insulation in the farm buildings, experimenting with a legume understory in wheat to reduce use of nitrogen and N2O losses, a heat exchanger for the bulk tank etc etc.

I spent far too long (17 years!!) setting up Westmill wind farm, the largest wind farm in central southern England (5 x 1.3 MW turbines – www.westmill.coop); for this I was a finalist in Farmers Weekly Green Energy Farmer of the Year 2010. 

I also helped set up community owned Westmill Solar Farm alongside the wind farm, for which I was a finalist in the Farmers Weekly Green Energy Farmer of the Year 2013 and Farmers Guardian Renewables Innovator of the Year 2013. I’m very clear about the importance and urgency of engaging, both within and beyond my work, with the threat of climate change and our responsibility to make change. FCT is my attempting to do that within my profession.You can read more about Westmill wind farm here.

Location: South West

Grace Ella Wardell

Posted on September 16, 2024 by -

Grace is a Calculator Development Officer, keeping the calculator updated with the latest scientific evidence and ensuring it functions smoothly for our users. Grace previously worked as a Research Technician in a laboratory studying legumes and their nitrogen- fixing symbionts. As part of her PhD research at the University of Sheffield, Grace worked with large sequencing datasets of soil microbiomes, investigating how soybean growth and soybean N2-fixing symbionts affect soil microbial communities in the UK. During this time, Grace found a passion for understanding the biology underpinning sustainable farming practices and the barriers farmers may face when implementing them, which led to her involvement in knowledge exchange events with farmers and communicating climate change solutions to eco-anxious young people. Prior to this Grace completed a Masters in Biological Sciences at the University of Sheffield investigating plant defence responses to pests and pathogens.Grace grew up in a coastal town in North Norfolk amongst farming communities that were interlaced within the beautiful natural coastline, where her interest in environmental sustainability began. Outside of work Grace can be found roaming the Peak District by bike or by foot or getting involved with ever-changing sporty hobbies.  

Location: Sheffield

Becky Willson

Posted on July 8, 2021 by -

Becky joined FCT in January 2014.  Prior to this, Becky worked on the SWARM Knowledge Hub, a project tasked with helping farmers and growers across the South West manage their resources sustainably.  As part of the SWARM Hub project, Becky was part of the team that developed the Farm Crap App, a mobile phone app to help farmers calculate the nutritive value of livestock manures.

 A passionate advocate for highlighting the economic benefits of sustainable farming, Becky currently divides her time between working for FCT and working for Duchy College Rural Business School as a technical specialist in resource management. In 2016 Becky was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship to study further how to communicate carbon reduction schemes to farmers, which has fed into her work at FCT and Duchy College.

Location: South West