“I’m the son of farmers, and I grew up together with four siblings on my parents’ family farm. When I was young I wanted to become a farmer, like my parents” reminisces Willy Kessler (born in 1956). But things turned out differently. The owner of his parents’ tenant farm was unable to offer the family any secure prospects, so Kessler instead decided to attend an academic high school. “Afterwards, studying Agronomy at the ETH Zurich seemed the obvious thing to do”, he continues. Throughout his years at school and university, until his parents emigrated to Canada, it was also “par for the course” for him to help out on their farm, where the main activities were milk production and grassland farming.
Since 1 January 2017, Willy Kessler has been Head of Agroscope’s newly formed Plants and Plant Products Competence Division, headquartered in Wädenswil. Prior to this, he completed a degree and a PhD in Agronomy at the ETH Zurich, followed by a postdoctoral post in Wales (UK) and a three-year stint as a Senior Research Associate and Lecturer back at the ETH Zurich. Kessler then took up an appointment at Agroscope in 1991, initially as a Staff Research Scientist dealing with the technical aspects of managing permanent grasslands and grassland production systems. In 2001 he was made head of a research group. The following year he assumed the leadership of a research division with responsibility for enforcement and research tasks in the arable and grassland farming sectors. He has also served as Director of the German-speaking area of the Swiss Grassland Society (AGFF) since 2001, and as Secretary of the European Grassland Federation (EGF) since 2004. In addition, since 2013 he has been a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Fondation Sur-la-Croix, an organisation which provides financial assistance to projects and activities in support of sustainable agriculture.
Willy Kessler looks back with particular fondness on his early years at the Research Station – then known as the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agronomy FAP – and the exhibitions put on before a large public audience. In particular, he recalls the 1992 Olma Special Exhibition, “Switzerland – a Grassland Country”. This was such a resounding success that after being presented in St. Gallen, it was also shown at the BEA in Bern, Luga in Lucerne, and Züspa in Zurich. “Thanks to this special exhibition, I succeeded in building up a large personal network within a very short space of time” he reflects.
What fascinates Willy Kessler about his work at Agroscope is the mix of topics, activities, and contacts: he finds the interaction with Agroscope colleagues – including experts from a broad variety of disciplines – as well as with external clients, to be both wide-ranging and exciting.
And what does he see as the greatest challenges of his new role as Head of the new Competence Division? In addition to the familiar areas of grassland and arable farming, Willy Kessler’s new division will also cover fruit and vegetable production and viticulture. “That covers a wide range of subjects – a major challenge and a huge kick for an over-60-year-old”, he says, not without a twinkle in his eye. A personal goal of his is to continue to expand his knowledge and networks, and to diligently cultivate relationships, since “Good contacts are crucial.” His Competence Division is to be Agroscope’s main entrance portal and hub for knowledge exchange in the plant-production sector. A further goal he has set himself for the next few years is to position the Division in such a way that it can meet the expectations of both internal and external clients. “Thanks to our outstanding achievements and effective networking, we’ll succeed in enhancing our public perception and boosting the acceptance of Agroscope as a research organisation”, he states confidently.
Although his busy schedule leaves him little time to pursue leisure activities, Willy Kessler describes his social engagement as Chairman of the Reckenholz Housing Cooperative as a hobby. Serving on this body since 1995, he has been a strong advocate for the success of the almost-50-year-old cooperative society; and he is responsible for administering its properties – a total of 62 housing units – providing numerous Agroscope staff with reasonably priced and spacious living quarters in the vicinity of Reckenholz. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two grown children at home in Hedingen (canton of Zurich), both in his garden, or hiking and cycling in the great outdoors.
Date: September 2017
