Powered by our people: Tom Shaw

What does your role involve? 

My role is farm services agronomy which has become mainly a professional development and training role. I am also responsible for extension research, so I work closely with the agronomists, the trials team, and the procurement team to help make decisions on what to sell and what to buy. I do a lot of professional development and training for agronomists of all levels of experience, but in particular I do a lot of training for trainee and graduate agronomists who are early on in their development. The focus is on what ‘best practice’ agronomy looks like, defining what skills are required to achieve best practice, and how to develop those skills so that they become embedded in practice. With the support of Rob Alderman, we’ve put together a structured development program for our graduate agronomists with a focus on technical training, which includes 3 workshops in their first year, focused on basic agronomy skills, pesticides and fungicide use etc, how to provide recommendations and how to plan. We also ask them to view webinars and complete assessments to support their growth as an agronomist within our business. The assessments are great for them as it requires them to have a go at specific tasks that will be useful throughout their agronomy careers. These assessments also require them to liaise and develop relationships with senior agronomists. In the 2nd year we focus on fertiliser and nutrition which is run across 4 workshops. Again, between the workshops, agronomists will need to watch webinars, complete quizzes and assessments and perform specific job related tasks. This training was built on the recognition that graduates were coming to us from university without the specific technical agronomy skills to develop good relationships with customers.  

I started my agronomy career as the sole agronomist in a small town and probably didn’t have the agronomy support to make a good go of it. That experience has motivated me to try not to let other young agronomists have the same poor experience.  

What are some of the key skills required to be successful in your role? 

Good interpersonal skills, which Robyn Barber really supports our grads with, but you also learn these skills in day-to-day life, and on the job dealing with people. Organisational skills are also essential. Crop planning is a key focus. A formal planning process makes an agronomist and a grower more organised. The outcome of the planning also means that the branch can be more organised to service customers, so this is critical. Technical skill and the ability to give good advice are critical, but also something that we expect develops over time. What we’re trying to do is build frameworks that allow young agronomists to make good technical decisions, and lead themselves down the path to good technical skills. 

How does your role contribute to the wider Nutrien purpose? 

The outcome for Nutrien is that they (hopefully) have better agronomists, who stay for longer, hold better relationships and bring more business back to the branch. These outcomes are more likely achieved if young agronomists feel supported and set up for success. 

What do you enjoy the most about your job? 

It’s pretty rewarding seeing when the penny drops with young agros. Seeing them develop over time into successful agronomists is really rewarding. I am a propeller-head at heart and love looking at data and the science and solving problems, so I enjoy this too. I enjoy imparting knowledge to others and learning off them as well. 

Can you share some of your career journey to date? 

I grew up in Perth but had an uncle with a farm in Toodyay. I went to UWA and did a BSc Agriculture, then applied for a job with Landmark. I was sent to Hyden which is 350 km east of Perth. I worked here for 3 years. I wanted to explore my options so went travelling for a while and spent 18 months in London, then came back and studied a Masters in Supply Chain Management because I wanted to broaden my options and potential career pathways. There was a period where I thought about changing industries, but I knew ag was where I wanted to be. I went to FMC and worked as a crop chem sales specialist for 4 years and then was approached by Zach Walsh for an opportunity to come and work at Landmark and now Nutrien for this Farm Services role – this was 5 years ago and I haven’t looked back. 

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 

Spend time with my kids is both a pleasure and hard-work – have 4 children. I like taking them to the pool, beach or playground. I like watching the footy – when I have time which is hard with 4 kids! 

Who is someone that inspires or motivates you at work? 

I enjoy working with Rob Alderman. He is always very considered, and never gives you a flippant answer. For this reason he is good to bounce ideas off and I always value his perspective on concepts. Working with him has reinforced to me the value of preparation, understanding a topic thoroughly and giving clear, thoughtful answers. He also has an excellent approach to teaching, which has helped me improve my ability to engage people in workshops and give them the best opportunity to learn. 

For more information on how you can grow your career with Nutrien Ag Solutions visit: Careers | Nutrien Ag Solutions