Three promising postgraduate agricultural students from across the UK have been selected to receive a ‘Centenary Award’ bursary from The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.Further awards will be made available in 2021.

Launched by rural insurer NFU Mutual to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2010, the annual award scheme provides bursaries of up to 75% of course fees for selected postgraduate students in agriculture. To date, 43 young people have received help through the award to further their education.

The three selected students for 2020 are:

• Elin Havard from Powys: MBA Innovation in Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Royal Agricultural University
• Becky Hewlett from Gloucestershire: MSc Ruminant Nutrition, Harper Adams University
• Amelia Preston from Yorkshire: MSc Sustainable Food and Agricultural Policy, Royal Agricultural University

Elin’s passion for farming began at a young age, and this bursary will support her aspirations. She said: “Having grown up on a beef and sheep farm, my interest in agriculture was instilled in me as a child. I relish this opportunity to further my understanding and gain the skills required to contribute positively to the future of our industry.”

Becky added: “Through expanding my knowledge of ruminant nutrition, I want to be able to influence the way people farm and both directly and indirectly steer them in a more environmentally friendly direction.”

Amelia explained how the award will help her to achieve her career ambitions: “It is a real honour to have NFU Mutual supporting my postgraduate studies. I aspire to make a positive contribution to UK agriculture and play an active role in the farming community and my ambition is to become a key advisor on agricultural policy.”

Announcing the award’s recipients for 2020, Jim McLaren, NFU Mutual Chairman, said: “Research and innovation are essential for our agricultural industry to achieve improved productivity and sustainable management of our natural resources. Our aim for the Centenary Award is to support promising individuals who are passionate about making a difference to the future of UK farming.”

Mr McLaren added: “We are delighted to be supporting Elin, Amelia and Becky with our Centenary Award bursaries, and wish them all the very best for their studies.”

Centenary Award bursaries will again be available in 2021. Applications for the award next year will be invited from the start of January, and information about the scheme can be found on the NFU Mutual website: www.nfumutual.co.uk.

In the meantime, prospective post graduate agricultural students who would like to find out more about the award can contact centenary_award@nfumutual.co.uk.