Dalehead scholars: Ellen Burrough and Emily Collins

Posted 18 February 2016

Dalehead Foods have awarded two scholarships to Harper Adams University students this year. 

The awards include payments of £4,500 each during the current academic year, plus employment with the company for the students’ placement year. 

Agriculture student Ellen Burrough, 21, from Branscombe, Devon, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have been awarded the Dalehead Foods scholarship and wish to achieve as much as possible during my placement year in Suffolk. 

“The placement year starts at Stradbroke in Suffolk next July within the farmer support team. I will be undertaking a number of tasks including: organising meetings for farmers to deliver specific messages; communicating with their customer Waitrose; working on the farm to increase my knowledge and skills; assisting the vet in trials; and producing a monthly bulletin. 

“Pig production has always been a great interest of mine; I’m a pig farmer’s daughter and live on an outdoor pig farm. I saw the scholarship advertised in my first year at Harper and I knew from then it was definitely one I wanted to apply for. I believed the scholarship would be an invaluable experience and really wanted to further my knowledge in the processing and supply chain management of pork.” 

Ellen aspires to work within the ancillary industry supporting farmers or to become a consultant within pig production or various enterprises.

The other Dalehead scholar is 19-year-old Emily Collins, from Fairwarp, East Sussex. 

Emily, who is working towards a degree in Animal Science, will be working in the Dalehead Technical Team. 

She said: “My placement will include all aspects of technical support, assisting in running trials on commercial units, and a dedicated trials farm, collecting and analysing data from these trials, producing reports and presenting outcomes. Trial work will be related to nutrition, animal welfare, eating quality and pig production. 

“Since joining Harper Adams I have aspired to improve production of animals including their welfare, therefore when the opportunity arose to gain valuable experience at Dalehead, which has a great reputation for high welfare standards and is also part of Tulip, one of the largest meat processers in the UK, I had to apply. 

“I feel proud to have been awarded the scholarship as there are many worthy students at Harper Adams.  I am also very excited to start the placement.

“In the future I would like to continue to research and trial new methods and techniques and also directly support farmers to improve animal production and welfare, whilst keeping costs sustainable.”