2019 Development Trust Award joint 3rd place winners: Catherine Herniman and Will Robbins

23 May 2019

There were two third place winners in the Development Trust Awards, both of whom delivered excellent work during their placement year.

Catherine, BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Animal Science, was at Barley Park, a family mixed farm in Oxfordshire owned by the Hook family. There are 1,500 acres of combinable crops, 600 breeding ewes, an Aberdeen Angus suckler herd and a 4000 organic poultry breeder site. Focussing on the sheep enterprise but starting with only a week’s lambing experience, our student learnt a lot about sheep husbandry and has been inspired to look for more opportunities to work with sheep after graduation.

Meanwhile Will, FdSc Agriculture, was placed in a diverse commercial role with NWF Agriculture, a feed supplier and farm merchant. This diverse placement involved working in a number of departments each week – from working the feed mill software to being on the telesales desk and looking after the 4,750 farm customers the business has between Scotland and Cornwall. There was also the chance to get involved with research and trial work.

Will said: “Placement was a really good experience and I learnt a lot of practical skills that I don’t think I’d have picked up elsewhere. It was a really good year of learning for me.”