My grandad was a farm labourer and I grew up on a farm. My brother followed in his footsteps, went to agricultural college and spent his entire career as an agronomist. I headed for the bright lights of London, via Bradford, and advertising instead. But even when I wasn’t directly involved in agricultural marketing, I still found myself taking an unhealthy interest in Farming Today and grabbing a sneaky peek at Farmers Weekly. So I guess you could say you can take the boy out of the farm…

The potential to make a difference. I worked one summer as a grain sampler and it was fascinating to be on the ground (or in the silo) to see how even the slightest variation in moisture content or Hagberg falling number could affect the value or final destination of a crop. Fast forward quite a few years and it’s great to be working with clients whose products have the power to make a direct impact on some of those variables: yields, livestock health, farm profits and the environment around us. When I’m writing about a product that solves a particular challenge, I can imagine myself explaining the benefits to some of the farmers I spoke to all those years ago.

I’m no expert, but I can’t get much further than climate change and the growing world population.

Constantly learning new things and the excitement (and occasionally trepidation) of having a blank piece of paper to fill virtually every day. Once that goes, it’s probably best for everyone if you quit.

Adaptability, flexibility and why the glass is always half full, not half empty.

A cow. Cows are the most curious creatures and you can’t get far as a copywriter without an interest in what makes the world tick. And sticking your nose in places it’s not always welcome.