Pembrokeshire winner of RWAS bursary award
The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society bursary award to enable young people to attend the annual Oxford Farming Conference held every January has been won by a 33 year-old farmer from Pembrokeshire. Tim John of Glanmar, Lambston, Haverfordwest, was one of eight candidates nominated for the award for the 2011 conference.
In order to qualify nominees must be between 25 and 35 years of age, must not be a student nor have received a Royal Welsh scholarship or any other student award given by the society in the previous five years. They must, however, be working in a land-based industry.
The number of candidates for the award was higher than in recent years and the judges said they were immensely impressed by the young nominees and by their enthusiasm for agriculture in Wales and for the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.
The Oxford Farming Conference is one of the most prestigious of its kind. It attracts leading figures in farming and associated industries and provokes much original and progressive thinking and commentary on agricultural affairs and development.
Tim, who started on his own account in 1994 after taking over the 340 acre family farm in Pembrokeshire, said the Oxford Farming conference presented “a brilliant chance to hear positive speakers”.
“Two years ago the conference looked at the public’s perception of British farmers. This year they are looking into what British farming is worth, which in my opinion, is very important and something I hope people will realise before it is too late,” he said.
Tim will be presented with the award at the RWAS Winter Fair at Llanelwedd, (November 29 and 30) and he will be required to write an article on his experiences at the conference for the 2011 Royal Welsh Journal.
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