EIGHT young farmers from across Wales have financially benefited from this year’s Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Travel Scholarship. A total of £3,550 has been awarded by the Management Committee to scholars wishing to broaden their knowledge of agriculture.
The scholarship, administered by NFU Cymru, was set up in memory of the late Gareth Raw Rees, who, for many years, was a delegate on the NFU Council and Chairman of the NFU Education Committee. Gareth believed fervently that travel was an important form of education for young people. The Scholarship is extremely grateful to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for their contribution to the Travel Scholarship Fund.
This year’s awards were presented by Simon Painter, Head of Regional Sales at NFU Mutual, at the Royal Welsh Show on Tuesday, July 23.
This year’s main winner is Gwern Thomas, who received £900 to help fund his travels to Australia.
25-year-old Gwern, from Felinfach, Lampeter, grew up helping on his uncle’s smallholding, working with sheep and cattle and was inspired by the industry. After qualifying in plumbing, he reassessed his career and created a business plan with Farming Connect and is now share-farming with his uncle. The award will help towards his expenses as he participates in the NFYFC exchange programme in Australia. Gwern said: “This trip is not just a journey but a pivotal learning experience. By engaging with Australian farmers and observing their strategies for animal husbandry and crop management, I aim to gain a fresh perspective that will enable me to address the challenges we face back at home more effectively. It will hopefully help me to continue learning in order to shape my character, expand my horizons and empower me to make a positive impact on the future of agriculture.”
Seven more recipients from the scholarship this year are receiving a financial contribution to help with their travels.
Thomas Yeomans, from Abergavenny, received £750 towards a trip to New Zealand. The 18-year-old has recently finished his education at Monmouth School. Thomas has been working with livestock his whole life, having grown up on the family’s mixed farm. He works on the home farm, milking goats, working with stock and tractor driving, and working with several local farmers with general farm jobs, from TB testing and hauling silage to carting corn. He also just started work experience on a fruit farm in Kent, which is lined up for the summer. Thomas said: “I plan to use my travel to New Zealand in order to expand both my experiences and knowledge of farming to grow further my understanding of how different farms operate.”
Richard Downes, from Llangeitho, near Tregaron, received £500 towards a trip to New Zealand. The Coleg Sir Gar graduate was born and raised on an organic beef and sheep farm in West Wales. Since leaving education, the 28-year-old had come back home to the family farm to help drive the business into a new direction. Richard said: “I hope that by travelling to New Zealand I will gain new ideas to help with my own personal and business development back home.”
Elin Davies, from Llanybydder, received £400 for her trip to Australia. Having finished her studies in Animal Production Science at Harper Adams, Elin plans to work on a dairy farm in Australia. The 22-year-old helps out on the family dairy and sheep farm and has her own flock of Texel sheep. She is now responsible for selecting which bulls to use on which cows after the family implemented a sexed semen policy. Elin said: “My aim while in Australia is to work on a dairy farm and hope to learn how Australian dairy farms reach their production levels from forage in order to take these lessons home.”
Caryl Haf Davies, from Pembrokeshire, received £350 towards her trip to New Zealand. Caryl, who will graduate from Aberystwyth University in the summer with a BSc in Agriculture with Animal Science, was bought up on the family farm in north Pembrokeshire, where they run a flock of improved Welsh sheep and Aberfield ewes. Caryl’s main interest, however, lies in the herd of pedigree Limousin cattle. She has a great passion for choosing the next bulls by studying genetics and picking out replacement heifers to ensure the future of the herd. Caryl said: “This money will help towards enabling me to follow in my dad’s footsteps and travel to the other side of the world as he did 30 years ago. I am willing to turn my hand to anything so am looking forward to silage hauling, milking and working on sheep stations during my time in New Zealand.”
Lowri Williams, an Aberystwyth University graduate from Caernarfon who grew up on a dairy farm, and Lily-Rose Davies, a first-generation farmer from Neath, will each receive £250 towards a trip to Australia and New Zealand.
Cerys Baker, from Monmouth, who grew up on a beef and sheep farm, will receive £150 towards her trip to Albania.
