Clyde Higgs Scholarship: Bethany Gardner

Bethany Gardner, fourth year BSc Hons Agriculture with Animal Science student and recipient of the Clyde Higgs Scholarship.

“I was born into dairy on the family farm and gained further experience working on local dairy farms when I left school. My ambition is to be able to advise dairy farmers, to run a profitable business within volatile markets”, says Bethany, 22.

As well as returning from a placement year at Cargill Animal Nutrition, Bethany has considerable experience abroad. “One of my proudest achievements in life so far is self-funded travel to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Europe, proving my enthusiasm and work ethic on numerous dairy farms and relief lambing work. During my travels I have visited different livestock production systems and wish to go back to gain further experience working on these in the future.”

Alongside my work and studies, Bethany is a committed shepherdess. “I run a flock of performance recorded pedigree Suffolk sheep, and I am also a committee member of The North West Suffolk Breeders Club where we organise events for other Suffolk breeders to include stock judging, barbeque and trips. I enjoy competing at events and last year this included participating at the National Suffolk Sheep Society Youth Completion where I was runner up in the over 16’s ‘seniors’ competition.”

With the help of her scholarship, Bethany is heading into her career with added confidence. “With many thanks to the Clyde Higgs Trust, post-graduation I look forward to exploring the dairy industry further. I also aim to undertake further educational courses in business planning and development, with the aim to set-up my own business in the future."