Becky wins NFU Mutual Charitable Trust Centenary Award bursary

A Masters student has been awarded a bursary from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.

Becky Hewlett has successfully been awarded the Centenary Award bursary to help support her during her studies. The 24 year old from Gloucestershire was one of three to be awarded the bursary, paying up to 75 percent of her course fees.

Upon discovering she had won the award, Becky said: “It came as a complete surprise, I really wasn't expecting to receive the award!

“The bursary will help with progressing my career going down a more nutrition-based route.”

To start this journey, Becky has begun her part time degree in MSc Ruminant Nutrition and is enjoying the experience so far. She said: “I've always wanted to do a masters in a specialized area and I think nutrition is going to become such an important part of farming in the future.

“I feel privileged to have grown up on our family farm, and it has always been obvious to me how hard farmers work and how much care and love goes into producing the finest quality products.

“Through expanding my knowledge of ruminant nutrition, I want to be able to influence the way people farm and both directly and indirectly steer them in a more environmentally friendly direction. I aim to help farmers with sustainable rations in the future and to help with on-going pressures that farmers experience.

“Hopefully I’m on my way to achieving this. So far, the class lectures and being able to meet up with course mates has been great. I’m really looking forward to getting involved in more projects at Harper over the course of my degree.”

Becky added: “It is a real honour to have NFU Mutual supporting my postgraduate studies.  Science underpins all research into animal diets; it is integral to developing new feeds and ways of feeding livestock. 

“Innovative technology, some of which has not been invented yet, must be embraced so that farming can keep pace with modern expectations and increasing demand.”

Becky is looking forward to the rest of her studies over the coming years. She commented: “Harper is a great university and a chance to meet fantastic people in the industry. I would definitely recommend it.”