The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, with the generous support of Dairy Crest, offers the chance for Agricultural Colleges in the UK to enter the Dairy Student Award each year.
Since the launch of the Award in 1991 the participation and enthusiasm of the colleges and universities has been outstanding. To find out details of the 2012 winner, click here. The last 4 winners have given us their views on the award and its benefits. Click here to read the full article.
The competition reflects the need for modern dairy farmers to understand the industry, its strengths and weaknesses, and how best to apply farming methods to achieve optimum results. Apart from the ability to demonstrate academic strengths, the judges will look for someone who can apply themselves to the technical and management challenges facing dairy farming. The judges will also be looking for a candidate who is ambitious and likely to move upwards on the career ladder.
The winning student receives a £1,000 cash prize and his/her college receives a donation of £500 to be spent on a dairying educational project. All other finalists receive £100 each.
The Award operates as a three-tier competition:
- Practical judging where students are invited to address how a dairy unit can become more efficient and adapt itself to the needs of the dairy industry.
- Successful candidates from the first round are invited to visit a Dairy Crest processing plant to tour the facilities, discuss and gather further information on industry and consumer issues and therefore the requirements of dairy processors.
- Finalists are invited to discuss "How do I structure my farm to meet the needs of the processor?" at the Farmers Club, London where the announcement of the winner is made.
Full details about the competition for 2013 will be available towards the end of the year. If you have any queries about the award, please contact Emily Rowley on 0845 458 2711 or email emilyrowley@rabdf.co.uk
Click here to download the RABDF/Dairy Crest Dairy Student Award 2012 information sheet.