Nuffield scholarships to focus on regenerative agriculture

A shift towards reducing inputs and adopting regenerative principles in UK agriculture is reflected in the latest round of Nuffield farming scholarships.

The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust (NFST) has awarded 18 scholarships to individuals who are tuned in to the significant change in direction agriculture is taking and to solving some of the sector’s most pressing challenges.

See also: How Nuffield Scholarship helped farm ownership dream

Many of the topics they have chosen to study are centred around improving efficiency and mitigating climate change in order to help achieve net zero carbon emissions, in line with industry and government targets.

Nuffield farming director Mike Vacher says this reflects a need for the future of agriculture to be forward thinking and to have innovative leaders.

Solutions the scholars have chosen to investigate span the industry and include arable, livestock, feed, forage and horticulture.

Their findings will help to shape the future of UK agriculture, says Mr Vacher.

Among the 2022 scholars is dairy farmer Oliver Chedgey, a first-generation farmer with two farming businesses including the Roaming Dairy – an organic dairy farming business that uses a mobile parlour to milk 400 cows on the Kingsclere Estate in Hampshire.

He will explore what his next steps should be on the farming ladder, including the possibility of land ownership and investments outside of farming.

Mr Chedgey and his fellow scholars, who come from a range of UK farming and rural industries, will seek guidance from industry leaders, experts and pioneers as they undertake their studies.

Many of their topics will focus on reducing inputs, regenerative farming practices, production efficiency and resource management.

Alisdair Cook, of Lockerbie, will look at the utilisation and impact of robotics on large-scale dairy farms and Rob Havard, of Droitwich, will evaluate beef cattle selection methods in grass-fed production systems.

James Pick, of Driffield, will investigate whether maincrop potatoes can be grown in a regenerative system, and Miranda Timmerman, of Abergavenny, will explore sustainable methods that improve gastrointestinal parasite management and help to reduce anthelmintic resistance in the UK sheep flock.

Applications for 2023 Nuffield farming scholarships are open from 12 January-31 July 2022.