David Jones

Britain’s best-read journal for arable farmers, Crop Production Magazine (CPM), has a new machinery editor. David Jones takes on the role from the beginning of January 2018, in time for its February issue. He’ll work alongside current editor Tom Allen-Stevens and will be responsible for CPM’s machinery section.

David Jones said: “I’ve known, and occasionally written for, CPM since its early days, and followed the magazine’s growth in popularity ever since.

“During that time, the UK’s farm machinery sector has been transformed by developments in technology and innovation. CPM has been at the forefront of reporting and explaining this transition and my main aim, as Machinery Editor, is to ensure that this leading role is sustained.”

Tom Allen-Stevens said: “I’m delighted that David has accepted the role as machinery editor. In these challenging times, farmers turn to sources they trust to gain an informed view on how to progress.

“What we deliver through CPM’s machinery pages is insight into how a particular piece of kit delivers for the farm business. David has an engaging writing style, a wealth of experience in the industry, and a real enthusiasm for the subject. I’m looking forward to him building on the relationships CPM has with its machinery clients, and bringing more great stories about the fantastic farm businesses we’re very privileged to profile. His articles will fast become an essential and trusted part of the decision-making process for progressive arable farmers.”

CPM publisher Angus McKirdy said: “With more than 30 years’ experience as an agricultural journalist, David brings a wealth of knowledge to CPM’s machinery section, so I’m absolutely thrilled he’s taking on the machinery editor’s role. More than ever, arable farmers need to embrace machinery-related innovations and advances in order to stay competitive – which is why, in 2017, we published a record number of machinery pages.”

The appointment comes at an exciting time for CPM, which published more editorial pages in 2017 than any other dedicated arable trade journal. New in 2018 will be an Innovation section, focusing on new technologies and research advances. The website goes from strength to strength, with all content, including exclusive web-only articles, available for free, with no subscription nor obligation to log in. The monthly newsletter has also enjoyed industry-leading open and click-through rates.

“It’s clear there’s an increasing appetite for machinery articles – and technical features in general – to be published online as well as in print,” continues Angus. “Year on year, CPM brings farmers more of the in-depth information they trust to help inform their arable decisions. That’s needed now more than ever, so I’m keen that the information we provide remains as accessible as possible, whether that’s in print or online.”

CPM has delivered in-depth analysis of agronomy and machinery innovations to UK arable farmers and agronomists since 1999. While David Jones will edit the machinery section of the magazine, Lucy de la Pasture continues in her role as technical editor, responsible for the technical and roots sections. As overall editor, Tom Allen-Stevens also edits the Innovation section and is responsible for sponsored and knowledge exchange editorial.

Based in Shrops, David has been writing about farm machinery for the past 15 years. His first job in agricultural publishing involved helping to produce the NFU’s monthly county magazines. This was followed by a move to the then ground-breaking Big Farm Weekly and, subsequently, a spell with Farming News. Since then, he has worked on the production of a wide range of in-house publications for some the world’s largest farm machinery manufacturers.

Take a look through the machinery section for some of the articles David’s written for CPM recently, or read Dec’s Machinery Murmurs opinion piece.