Kildare Charitable Trust Scholarship: Alex Baylis

Alex Baylis, 22, from Leigh, Worcestershire is a third year FdSc Agriculture student and recipient of the Kildare Charitable Trust Scholarship.

"Growing up on a fresh produce farm in Worcestershire has given me a passion for agriculture. Helping out on the farm and being involved with the agricultural industry has put me in good stead for my future career aspirations. 

Studying at university is a great achievement in which I am proud of, having the opportunity to apply for scholarships and being a recipient of a scholarship is something I am also immensely proud of. I applied for the Kildare Charitable Trust scholarship to help myself gain knowledge and have opportunities to further my career progression.

"Using the scholarship funding to attend industry related shows and travel abroad to see how other countries use different farming practices is something the scholarship will enable me to do. Being selected to receive a scholarship gives me a huge confident boost, having other people believe in what I want to achieve in my career and how I want to use resources to benefit my career is brilliant. Keeping up to date with the agricultural sector must be done in an ever changing industry, by doing so I will be able to further my career and be at the forefront of my industry.

"I also have intentions of travelling to mainland Europe and visiting fresh produce farms in Holland and Germany to look at contrasting farming practices, again allowing me to gain more experience and expand my knowledge to utilise in the UK fresh produce industry. I would like to thank my sponsors for believing in me and again I can only thank you for selecting me as a recipient of the scholarship, I feel privileged to be chosen.

"I chose to study agriculture at Harper Adams as I believe studying a subject I have a passion for with like-minded people will allow me to progress in my career and gain contacts for my future in the industry.

"I see my future based in the fresh produce sector, managing a fast paced vegetable farm in my home county of Worcestershire. Before this I intend to gain more knowledge in the sector by travelling abroad, viewing different farming practices and looking at how I can improve the industry to provide a sustainable and economic way of producing a valuable product in the ever changing world of agriculture.

"In my spare time I like to clay and game shoot whilst also playing football at home and university. I see getting to university as an achievement and I am the first person in my family to do so. I also completed a placement year at one of Europe’s largest fresh produce farms G’s Fresh, in doing so I gained huge knowledge and experience which has helped me get to where I am in my career and put me on the right path to succeed in my career."