After obtaining a diploma in Agricultural Business majoring in Agronomy from Lakeland College, Chelsea joined the Martin Deerline team in Westlock as a Service Administrator in March of 2014. She always had an interest in agronomy and hoped to one day move into a role that would allow her to put her education to use. And she didn't have to wait long as in 2015 Martin Deerline saw the need to offer Agronomy Services to our clients and Chelsea was the right person for the job.
The Precision Ag Agronomist role is extremely seasonal so depending on the time of year you will find Chelsea doing a variety of different tasks as she helps clients and follows their crops throughout the growing year.
In Winter, you will find her in the office analyzing soil samples and working with growers to develop crop plans for the coming year. Spring time when farmers hit the fields, Chelsea starts field visits and then gets really busy as the crops begin to germinate. June through August would be her busiest time of year as she is out in the field crop scouting daily. This year she has 10,000 acres to scout of canola, wheat, barley and peas. Each crop brings different challenges of pests and disease and she is responsible for monitoring the crop and advising the grower as to the right times to apply herbicides, fungicides and pesticides so they can achieve the optimal yields.
As harvest begins she spends time with her customers in the combine reviewing the growing season and analyzing decisions made throughout the summer against the yields they are realizing and the targets they planned for. As soon as the crops come off, she is back in the fields to get soil samples and starts the process all over again.
So, as you can see her job brings a lot of variety and gives her the opportunity to build trusted relationships with her clients. Which is one of the things she enjoys most about her job, that her growers have become friends and that she has become a partner within their operations.
Outside of work Chelsea also likes to stay busy, whether she is curling, golfing, playing slo-pitch, camping, riverboating or helping out on her family's farm her evenings are often booked with social activities!
Thank you Chelsea for being a trusted advisor to our clients as well as a helpful, out-going member of the Martin Deerline team.