Each year the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society presents promising students and rising stars with awards and scholarships which recognises and pays tribute to their enthusiasm and dedication to Welsh agriculture.
All of the following students have been presented with their awards at the Royal Welsh Show today, Tuesday 23 July.
Student of the Year Award
The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s 2019 Student of the Year Award has this year been won by Fflur Roberts, Llangadfan, Welshpool.
Flur is currently studying at Grwp NPTC Group (Newtown) and will receive a certificate and a cash prize for a study tour.
As well as studying for her BTEC Extended Diploma in Agriculture, Flur has also taken part in initiatives to expand her knowledge and experience, including the Farming Connect Agri-academy group, YFC activities and working on the family beef and sheep farm.
The annual award is open to students who have completed NVQ Level III or the BTEC ND/NC, C&G certificate/diploma courses in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Animal Nursing, Horse Management, Countryside Management or other land-based related management courses.
The Gwili Jones – Coleg Sir Gâr Educational Bursary
The The Gwili Jones – Coleg Sir Gâr Educational Bursary has been awarded to Aaron Ioan Lewis, Llangadog, Carmarthenshire.
This award recognises the importance of supporting students who are entering the agricultural engineering industry through facilitating a one-week work placement with a prestigious manufacturer within the sector.
Aaron has just completed the second year NVQ Level 3 Agricultural Engineering qualification at Coleg Sir Gâr. Geraint Evans, Agricultural Engineering Team Leader for the college, says of him: “He has a very strong work ethic, and is passionate about his work. He has a bright future ahead of him”.
Aaron’s short-term career plans include working for a dealership in order to acquire engineering experience and with his keen interest in Welding & Fabrication, he is excited at the prospect of a firsthand experience of the operations at Teagle, and is very grateful for this opportunity.
In the medium term, he would like to own and run a contracting business to meet the needs of local farmers – and of course maintain and repair his own equipment! Ultimately, he aspires to run an agricultural dealership of his own.
The bursary is available to any student currently studying any land based course within the faculty of land based studies at the Gelli Aur and Pibwrlwyd campuses, or any student having successfully completed a course within the land based faculty at Coleg Sir Gâr within the last five years.
IBERS Student Award
The award for the best student of agriculture at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University, has been won by Miss Rachel Craft, Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
Rachel was bought up on a family dairy farm in North Yorkshire where she played an active role throughout childhood and adolescence.
After many years of acquiring school and university holiday work experience in the catering and hospitality industry, Rachel also showed her entrepreneurial side when she established her own business, The Farmhouse Pantry, baking and selling cakes in her local area during the summer holidays whilst at university.
She commenced work with NFU Mutual immediately following graduation in June 2019.
A student from Aberystwyth University from 2016-19, Rachel graduated with an outstanding degree in Agriculture with Business Studies.
Harper Cymry Student Award
The Harper Cymry Student Award, jointly promoted by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and Harper Cymry, is awarded to Ifan Mills Huws, Foel, Welshpool, Powys.
Ifan is in the final year of his BSc Honours Agriculture with Farm Business Management degree course at Harper Adams University.
The award, introduced in 1999, seeks to encourage students from Wales studying at Harper Adams University to contribute fully to developing both their academic and personal potential. It has been promoted jointly by RWAS and Harper Cymry.
The award recognises the student with the best academic record allied to a very positive contribution to the broader student learning environment of the college through its clubs, societies or through other extra mural activities. Also embraced in the award is a full contribution to the activities of Harper Cymry (the college based club for students from Wales).
In addition, the adjudicators at the interview, seek out the student who has the best thought out career plans and potential.
Dr Richard Phillips Agricultural Student Award
A Royal Welsh Agricultural Society award for students in memory of the late Dr Richard Phillips, a leading figure in agricultural education in Wales, has been won by Elizabeth Louise Swancott, Aberystwyth.
Elizabeth was brought up on the family farm near Knighton and attended John Beddoes School in Presteigne before completing an Extended Diploma in Agriculture (which she was awarded with 3 Distinction*) at Walford College. She graduated from Aberystwyth University in June 2019, following the completion of a 4-year sandwich course, with a 1st Class BSc(Hons) in Agriculture with Business Studies.
Fully committed to the family farm from an early age, Elizabeth has taken a greater interest in and played an increasingly important role in the day to day management of the sheep flock, comprised largely of Beulah Speckle Faced sheep, over recent years and now even has a small herd of pedigree Limousin cattle of her own. The pride the family have in their livestock and the inordinate amount of effort they put in to their breeding and management was clearly displayed in an episode of BBC TV’s Farmer Country Showdown broadcast in 2018.
In addition to her practical farming experience, Elizabeth has worked with several firms of auctioneers whilst at school and university and spent her year in industry as part of her degree course with ABP/Blade Farming and with Rhayader Animal Health.
Elizabeth has achieved a great deal of success with the YFC Movement, representing Radnorshire in stock judging at both the Welsh and English Winter Fairs as well as at the Royal Welsh Show, winning several national awards and being named as the County’s Stockman of the Year at both Junior and Senior level.
Her passion for and commitment to agriculture is total and the future will undoubtedly be bright as long as young people of her calibre continue to enter the industry.
Royal Welsh Scholarship
A £3,000 Royal Welsh Agricultural Society scholarship to encourage students to develop their potential through academic achievement so that they can make a more effective contribution to the agricultural industry has been awarded to Emma Powell, Llanbedr, Crickhowell, Powys.
The scholarship, sponsored by Waitrose, is intended to help students from Wales who have taken their Higher National Diploma or foundation degree at an agricultural college in England, Scotland or Wales. There is also considerable potential for applicants to diversify their opportunities through the additional support offered by the sponsors, as in addition to the cash award, Waitrose offer the opportunity of spending time walking the supply chains of most interest to the successful candidate.
Emma’s family farm measures 400 acres and the family keep a flock of 1200 ewes and a suckler herd of 50 cows. In addition to studying for her degree at Gelli Aur, Coleg Sir Gar, Emma works on the farm with her parents and brother and is employed two days a week at GP Biotec, Talgarth.
Emma had her secondary education at Crickhowell High School and Hereford Sixth Form College before studying for a Level Three Extended Diploma in Agriculture and a Foundation Degree in Agriculture at Gelli Aur. She now plans to continue her studies at Gelli Aur by progressing to a BSc Honours course in Agriculture. Her dissertation as part of the Foundation degree was based on assessing the value of digestate from Anaerobic Digestion units on grass plots at Gelli Aur.
Emma is undoubtedly a hard-working individual determined to succeed in her eventual goal to continue her career in practical farming. She has already started developing her own flock of Aberfield ewes crossing with a Texel ram and her aim is to develop this further. She is a keen member of Bwlch and Crickhowell YFC competing in a range of competitions and secretary for the last two years. She has also recently become secretary of Brecon Grassland Society.
The judges were highly impressed with Emma’s determination and dedication in combining her studies with working on the home farm, employment at Biotec and all other activities, and feel gaining this RWAS Scholarship will help her considerably to achieve her objective of progressing to study for a BSc honours degree.
Visit: www.rwas.wales
Feature image: 2019 Student of the Year Award has this year been won by Fflur Roberts, Llangadfan, Welshpool
