Patrick Graf-Grote

Patrick studied BSc (Hons) Agriculture at Hartpury and now works for Grimme, the largest potato, sugar beet and vegetable machinery producer in the world. He is working on sales to new markets in China, Mongolia and North and South America. He has been demonstrating new products, going to customers on a daily basis, driving the machine under their conditions, getting feedback and ultimately generating sales.

Patrick's Hartpury Experience

"I started a sports degree at another university, but it wasn’t for me. I wanted to do agriculture and Hartpury University has a good reputation for both rugby and agriculture. When I got to Hartpury, I loved it. One of the best things is that you work in small groups. We also did the Grassroutes Programme, where we competed against eight other university teams to pitch our business strategy to a panel of experts from the agriculture industry. That was a really good chance to get out there and challenge ourselves. We did a lot of presentations where we needed to know our subject and offer our opinion which is a massive benefit when you leave. What machinery companies often lack is that knowledge of the farmer on the ground and that’s something I got through the course at Hartpury University.

Developing Industry Connections

"Work experience is very important. Networking, getting out there and showing people your face and going to places that aren’t necessarily home. I think it’s important to do a wide variety of things, taking part in extras outside the academic programme. I started applying for jobs during my last year at Hartpury University. I went to Agritechnica, which is a big machinery show in Germany, and made contact with Grimme."

Study Agriculture

At Hartpury, an agriculture degree is about so much more than farming. It's about working with people to create behaviour change, applying agri-tech data to increase yield and welfare, and translating scientific research and business theory into real solutions that address industry challenges.