Mark Turner is the winner of the 2025 Syngenta Farm Sprayer Operator of The Year. His determination and strength of character shone through, having taken on board – and acted upon – feedback from reaching previous finals.
Never give up. It’s a mantra that Mark Turner knows all too well, having reached the FSOOTY final on more than one occasion.
Undeterred, each time he has successively taken on board feedback from previous visits to the final round. He has also adapted his own procedures to suit the constraints of his employer’s business, Rise Farms based in East Riding of Yorkshire.
This ability to adapt and overcome is something that has steered Mark through most of his life. Many who know him through his social media and sprayer group activities may be aware he has recently undergone a successful cochlear implant to restore hearing loss.
Using the moniker ‘the bionic farmer’, Mark had to combat not being able to hear for most of his life. It built resilience, determination and prompted him to make the most of available technology, to help communicate with those around him.
“I have found ways to make things work for me,” adds Mark. “And that hard work pays off in the end. It might just take longer than you initially think and that can be frustrating, but I’d say to anyone, never give up.”
Proudly holding the trophy, Mark takes great pride in everything he does, and is clearly delighted with the top farm sprayer operator award.
“It’s a very surreal feeling, but also a great achievement. It also seems really odd seeing myself on various social media feeds and the Cereals event highlights,” he says.
Mark recognises that learning from, and sharing knowledge with other FSOOTY finalists is a resource that the farming industry should be proud of.
“Through FSOOTY, the professionalism of what we do is clear for all to see,” he says.
A good neighbour
In Mark’s case, that professionalism also extends to his development of a closed Facebook group that includes neighbours and local residents whose gardens back onto the land farmed by Rise Farms. It’s all part of increasing public awareness about what the farm needs to do and when, in its quest to supply high quality produce for customers.
“Through the group, I can provide advanced notification of anything we need to do throughout the farming year, not just sprays and liquid fertiliser applications.
“Simple communication pays off with support from neighbours. By educating, informing and involving those around us, we do get positive support. There’s nothing worse than not being told what’s going on,” says Mark.
Continuous learning
Judges were impressed at how Mark has increasingly learned more with each of his competition entries, adding that FSOOTY is all about the operator, and not someone who has the latest and greatest equipment.
Scott Cockburn, one of the judges and business manager, Central South for Syngenta, which organises the competition in association with Ei Operator and the Voluntary Initiative, says Mark has shown amazing determination and strength of character, which has finally paid off after reaching the final for his fourth time.
“Mark has a keen eye for detail, and it’s plain to see that he is a very dependable character who can be relied on to get the job done to a very high standard,” says Mr Cockburn.
“I’m the lucky one, because I get to travel through our fields all-year round, so I get to see first-hand how our crops are performing,” explains Mark.
“This level of involvement has also been one of the reasons why I studied for my BASIS. I can confidently support my farm manager and agronomist in all our agronomy decisions. I try to do courses that apply to me and my working situations and that gives me additional job satisfaction.”
Rise Farms now operates a Bateman RB35 complete with 4,000-litre tank and 30m boom carrying ten sections, and operated through an Ag Leader terminal. Efficiency gains have come from fast-fill, auto-filling, advanced boom suspension, auto-boom height control and an auto-lube system for the chassis.
“It’s my second Bateman, and the improvements have been useful, but not extensive. Auto-lube is great as greasing the chassis has been a chore in the past. I’m happy greasing the back frame myself, as it gives me a chance to look around the sprayer, and make sure everything is as it should be,” he says.
The now six-year old sprayer has covered around 3,000hr and while he recognises the sprayer has been a reliable and comfortable bit of kit, he says the air conditioning is mediocre and struggles to keep up at the best of times.
On the roof is an N-sensor – Mark’s second one, having used one since 2006. It makes the most of fertiliser through variable rate applications, leading to an even crop canopy.
Good housekeeping
Good housekeeping practices see Mark make the most of the washing out process by inspecting nozzles, boom and spray lines, to check for any problems.
“Anything that needs my attention is highlighted with a marker-pen, so I can still identify a fault when the boom is switched off. It’s the little things that make my days in the cab much more satisfying, knowing I’m doing the best I can,” he says.
“The main spray filter still needs to be opened with my home-made spanner, and I still need to fit conveyor belting over the boom and nozzles which sit directly behind the rear tyres when the boom is open.
“Few manufacturers have got this aspect of sprayers properly sorted – and it’s the same with wide tyres and a lack of mudguard extensions. It wouldn’t take much for them to apply the same attention to detail that we do, as operators.”
With land spread over several miles from base, Mark makes the most of a 12,000-litre Philip Watkins bowser, to improve productivity.
“The bowser gives me three complete fill-ups, but I don’t always make a full-fill every time,” he explains. “With the business comprising five smaller units dotted around the county, getting the best efficiency is all about matching field sizes to logistics.”
Those fields range from 2.1 up to 26.8ha in size, with Mark only carrying enough liquid needed to cover each block of crop.
“I never stick at one rate for everything. Pre-ems are usually rolled out at 200 litres, with general water rates ranging from 130-175 litres/ha,” he says. “I do make water volumes fit the fields, as long as it’s safe to do so. There’s nothing worse than running short in a big field when you can tweak the water volumes to achieve the same result.”
Future developments
Mark says he has seen a lot of positive changes in his 25 years as a sprayer operator, but acknowledges there are still some really useful advances in application technology that are yet to come through.
“CTS is one of those advances,” he says. “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a small group testing them, and I was very impressed with the system. It’s only when I now have no access to a CTS system that I appreciate just how good it was.”
He says that anything that minimises contact with pesticides is a good thing for both operator safety and the environment.
“It would be great to get all plant protection products with a CTS cap as standard, and not just a select few manufacturer’s,” he says. “Anything that minimises operator exposure has to be a good thing.”
Operator tip:
Keep spare nozzles accessible by using a multi-nozzle body holder on a cab grab rail.
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