Chris Hall

Chris has run the sample processing facilities in the Jenkinson Building and Farm Lab since 2007, after two decades of working in the field. He is particularly involved with the classical experiments, dealing with the grain samples each year, making various measurements and adding samples to the archive. His day-to-day running of the facility requires him to give training and advice to scientists and their technical staff in basic sample handling, storage and processing tasks. Chris started work at Rothamsted Research in the field experiments section in 1987, after he qualified in Agriculture from Shuttleworth College in Bedfordshire. He joined the small plots team and was involved with all aspects of trials work, from marking out of experiments, applying of fertiliser and spray treatments, crop and soil monitoring and sampling, as well as harvesting both by hand and plot combine. As the energy grasses programme developed in the 1990s, he liaised with scientists, dealing with the practical field work and harvesting. He remained the hand held treatment spray specialist. During the 1990s, he trained as a MET observe, learning how to read all the instruments by eye and keeping records. These days, he is helped by an automatic weather station.