The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) is sponsoring Mid Wales livestock farmer William Davies to travel the world as the 2027 Royal Welsh Nuffield Scholar hunting new ideas to grow farm businesses.

He expects to spend around eight weeks travelling, with current plans including the United States, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand and Kenya. The travel will be spread across several shorter trips throughout the scholarship, rather than taken all at once.

 During the visits, he will meet farmers, business owners, managers and advisers to understand how successful businesses operate and what enables them to grow sustainably.

 William’s chosen topic is ‘Exploring globally scalable farm business models’, examining how agricultural businesses can grow and succeed through different ownership and management structures.

 The RWAS continues to support the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust, which gives individuals working across farming, food, horticulture and rural sectors an opportunity to undertake in-depth study and travel. The mission is to develop their knowledge and bring new ideas back to the industry in Wales.
 
An Agriculture graduate of Aberystwyth University, William has run his own self-employed contract farming business since 2024, taking full management and operational responsibility for the livestock enterprise at Sweet Lamb Estate, near Llangurig in Powys.
 
His role covers day-to-day livestock management, budgeting, benchmarking performance and planning improvements. William developed an agreement with the landowners, which includes a profit-sharing element while allowing him to build his own cattle herd and grow his equity in the business.
 
The experience has given him first-hand insight into building a substantial livestock business without owning the land itself and sparked his interest in the different ways agricultural businesses can be structured and developed.
 
Through his Nuffield study, William will explore what enables some farm businesses to continue growing while others reach a ceiling. He will look at the role of ownership, access to capital, management, business structure and people, while considering which principles are consistent across different countries and farming systems.
 
His research will cover a range of models, including family and corporate-owned businesses, contract and share farming, leasing, management agreements and investor-backed businesses.

 He is particularly interested in how successful businesses make decisions, allocate capital, manage risk and measure performance, as well as how they recruit and retain people and maintain standards and accountability as they grow.
 
His aim is not to focus on model that can be replicated in the UK, but to identify the principles that underpin successful and scalable farm businesses and consider how these could be adapted to create opportunities for existing farmers and the next generation.
 
William first dreamed of becoming a Nuffield Scholar while studying at Llysfasi College and Aberystwyth University.

 He has also been an active member of Wales YFC, competing at county and national level in stock judging, public speaking and fencing. He recently completed the Man v Horse race to raise funds for Hope House Children’s Hospices, whose respite care has supported his family.
 
“I’m delighted to have been awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship and very grateful to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and the Era Francis Davies bursary for their support,” he said. “ I would also like to thank the Bennett Evans family for the opportunity to develop my farming career at Sweet Lamb Estate and for supporting me in undertaking the scholarship.
 
“I’m particularly excited by the opportunity to explore how successful agricultural businesses operate, grow and evolve across different parts of the world and to consider how those lessons might help create new opportunities for the next generation of farmers.”
 
The Nuffield Scholarship is an 18-month programme, culminating in a report designed to share new ideas and knowledge with the British food and farming industry. RWAS support reflects its commitment to education and research within Wales’ agriculture and land-based sectors.
 
William will be presented with a certificate during the official opening ceremony of the Royal Welsh Winter Fair on Monday, November 30.

The RWAS is sponsoring Mid Wales livestock farmer William Davies as the 2027 Royal Welsh Nuffield Scholar