Shropshire farming trio land scholarships to help shape future

Dr Saba Amir, from Craven Arms, is a lecturer at Aberystwyth University as well as a knowledge exchange fellow for Farming Connect.

Her study is 'Can calf with cow dairy farming become the future of the dairy industry?'

She hopes to visit producers around the world who are running successful calf with cow dairy systems.

Dr Amir will explore both the practical and economic considerations needed to make the system a success and seeks to understand how this knowledge can be effectively disseminated to both UK dairy farmers and the wider industry.

To research this topic,she is aiming to visit USA, Canada, Scotland, Netherlands.

David Tavernor, from Market Drayton, runs his own business Fly2Feed, producing black soldier flies to create protein feed for chickens and fertiliser using food waste.

Having started his business following a trip to Mexico, he is looking forward to travelling more during his scholarship to expand his knowledge of insect farming.

Mr Tavernor hopes to understand how UK farmers could incorporate black soldier fly production into their existing operation to produce their own feed or fertiliser and add value to farm by-products and plans to visit Africa, Europe, and North America.

Dr Annie Williams, from Shrewsbury, is a business development manager at the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL), with a keen interest in minerals and the role they play in ruminant nutrition.

During her scholarship, she hopes to explore the many complexities around mineral nutrition and understand evidence-based practices to provide the best advice for farmers.

She will also seek to learn about the global differences in supplementation, on-farm advice and diagnostics within the context of sustainability, nutrient utilisation and regenerative agriculture. Annie hopes to spend time in New Zealand, the USA, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Over the course of their scholarships, they will travel internationally to gain an in-depth understanding of their study topic from global experts.

“Following a substantial number of exceptional applicants this year, we are delighted to announce our biggest ever cohort of Nuffield Farming Scholars,” says Mike Vacher, Director of the Trust.

“Our 2024 scholars have already displayed a clear passion for their chosen topics, and I have no doubt that they have the potential to become leaders who shape the future of agriculture.

“We are looking forward to introducing our 2024 cohort to the Nuffield Farming family at this year’s ‘Super Conference’ in Exeter. This will be the pinnacle of what is already set to be a fantastic event, with over 30 Scholars presenting their study findings.”

Applications for 2025 Nuffield Farming Scholarships will open on Wednesday, January 24.