The day we value the soil scientist, the metallurgist and the hydrologist in the way we value the banker, we may well have cracked it.

He has a degree in agriculture and has worked as a soil scientist, and another degree in computer studies.

In the past, a soil scientist would take hard-copies of aerial photography, topo-sheets, and mapping keys into the field with them.

He assembled botanists and zoologists together with soil scientists, and provided the most modern analytical facilities available.

Employers report that almost a third of vacancies are hard to fill, from vets to crop managers, soil scientists, plant breeders, food technologists, growers, stockmen and tractor drivers.