The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, with the generous support of Dairy Crest, will once again offer the chance for Agricultural Colleges in the UK to enter the Dairy Student Award for 2012.
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 2011 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 will receive a £1,000 cash prize and his/her college will receive a donation of £500 to be spent on a dairying educational project. All other finalists will receive £100 each.
This year the Award will once again operate as a three-tier competition:
- The practical judging will take place on Thursday 23rd February 2012 at Reaseheath College, Nantwich, Cheshire where students are invited to address how the dairy unit can become more efficient and adapt itself to the needs of the dairy industry.
- Successful candidates from the first round will be invited to visit a Dairy Crest processing plant on Friday 16th March 2012 to tour the facilities, discuss and gather further information on industry and consumer issues and therefore the requirements of dairy processors.
- Finalists will be invited to discuss "How do I structure my farm to meet the needs of the processor?" at the Farmers Club on Friday 30th March 2012, when the announcement of the winner will be made.
For more information about the Dairy Student Award 2012 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.