The Beef Shorthorn Society has launched a new award for agricultural students.
The Beef Student of the Year award offers a prize of £2,000 for the winner and £1,000 to their place of study to fund a beef-related project.
Beef Shorthorn Society chief executive, Milly Fyfe, said: “We are pleased to launch this award – the first of its kind, which is designed to provide the upcoming generation with the opportunity to reflect the beef sector’s requirement for future producers, demonstrate an understanding of the industry and the challenges it faces post-Brexit, and how farmers will need to respond in order to achieve sustainability and profitability.
“The judges will be seeking students who are able to best demonstrate they have an awareness of how to manage a profitable suckler beef enterprise post-Brexit, and the tools – both management and technical, they will deploy to achieve their goal. They must also demonstrate a commitment to progressing their career within the beef farming sector.”
The award is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 studying agriculture or a related course at a UK agricultural college or university.
Applicants are required to write an essay of up to 1,500 words, complemented with a 140-character Tweet, describing how a commercial suckler unit could introduce Beef Shorthorn cattle to its current model in order to develop a sustainable and profitable enterprise, without support payments following the Brexit.
Colleges and universities can nominate up to three essays each and all applications must be submitted by February 10.
A judging panel will then select four finalists who will be asked to attend a final judging round later in the spring.
