Luke Thompson, a final year student studying FdSc Agriculture at Plumpton College is the RABDF/Dairy Crest Dairy Student of the Year Award. Luke was awarded a £1,000 cash prize by Dairy Crest and the college he represented received £500 towards a dairying educational project.
A memento was presented to each of the other three finalists short listed for the award: Richard Edge studying BSc Hons Agriculture at Harper Adams University College; Robert McConaghy, HND Agriculture, CAFRE, Greenmount Campus; and Sam Pearson, BSc Hons Agriculture with Countryside Management, University of Aberystwyth.
A panel of judges initially interviewed each of the 10 entrants at Reaseheath College of Agriculture, on how they could improve its dairy enterprise’s efficiency and service to the industry. Four finalists were short listed to tour Dairy Crest’s Gloucestershire dairy at Severnside to gain a greater understanding of milk processing and consumer priorities and the judges selected the winner in London on Thursday 25 June, after making a decision based on how to structure a farm to meet current processor and marketplace requirements.
The winning student was presented with a £1,000 cash prize by Dairy Crest. In addition, the college represented by the winning student received £500 towards a dairying educational project.
Sponsor, Dairy Crest’s milk procurement director, Mark Taylor said: “Encouraging high calibre young people into dairy farming is vital to the dairy industry and something that we actively support. The RABDF/Dairy Crest Dairy Student of the Year Award 2009 has a key role of promoting dairy courses within agricultural colleges across the UK. Today's dairy farmer needs to have a greater awareness of the marketplace and develop a wide range of practical, commercial and managerial skills to meet the many challenges the industry faces. I hope that by including a visit to our Severnside dairy the finalists were able to see the importance of strong supply chain relationships in meeting consumer demand.”
David Herdman, chairman of DCD, the supplier organisation representing Dairy Crest’s direct suppliers said: “I am pleased to have had the opportunity to work alongside Dairy Crest and RABDF and to be involved in this award. I am very impressed by the finalists we have interviewed today who have all demonstrated extensive knowledge and great enthusiasm for dairy farming. Their motivation for the future is a great advert for the next generation.”
RABDF vice chairman, David Cotton commented: “The real future of dairy farming is in the hands of a stream of highly enthusiastic and motivated young people who have an accompanying set of strong business skills. Once again, we are pleased to offer this award to acknowledge those youngsters who have the dedication, enthusiasm and potential tenacity to commit to grass roots dairying, and also to encourage more to study dairy courses.”
from left, RABDF’s David Cotton with the winner Luke Thompson with Dairy Crest’s David Herdman and Jane Charlesworth