Scholarship placement will aid career plans for Harper Adams University student

Posted 19 July 2017

Oliver Ashton has always had an interested in farm animal nutrition but it was when he started studying agriculture at college that he realised that this was the sector he wanted to build a career in.

The BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Animal Science student has recently been named as the recipient of an AHDB Pork Pig Industry Scholarship with a placement year at Devenish Nutrition to help him achieve his dream.

The 19 year old from Bradford, West Yorkshire, said: “I’ve always had an interest in farm animal nutrition having grown up on a small dairy farm. I realised I wanted to work in the sector when I started studying agriculture at Askham Bryan College.

“I want to work in the pig sector as it’s a very technically managed and controlled area of nutrition.
“The sector is massively focused towards efficiency which requires the animal’s nutrition to be the best it can be and will therefore provide great opportunities for me to develop my knowledge.

“Pig nutrition is continually developing and provides great opportunities for research and new product development which I find particularly interesting.

“I feel very happy and privileged to have been given a Pig Industry Scholarship with a placement year at Devenish. I believe it will further my knowledge and experience of both the nutrition and pig industry.
“I would like to thank AHDB Pork and Devenish for this brilliant opportunity.

“I aim to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible from the scholarship to help me get a job in the sector after graduating.”

Oliver’s placement is based predominantly in Belfast working with the pig nutrition team. Experience will be gained in the comprehensive and innovative research and development department of the pig team. He will also work with the nutrition and advisory team and also in the technical sales area of the business.