Student named West Country Dairy Awards winner

Posted 25 September 2025

Ross Hurford, centre, with other West Country Dairy Awards finalists

A Harper Adams University Agriculture student has been named winner of the 2025 West Country Dairy Awards.

Ross Hurford, from Devon, impressed judges with his genuine passion for dairy farming and keen interest in genomics.

During his time at Harper Adams - and on his industry placement year - BSc (Hons) Agriculture student Ross has got fully involved in the dairy industry and has gained knowledge and practical experience.

He said: “The West Country Dairy Awards is a brilliant opportunity to help young people get into the dairy industry.

“I found this charity through good word of mouth, and the application process was very straightforward. The people that I met during finals alone are some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry. I would recommend this charity to all students. Thank you very much for the funding - it will all be put towards furthering my career in dairying.”

The West Country Dairy Awards were established in 1925 to provide grants to people studying dairy-related training courses. This year the charitable organisation distributed more than £22,000 to young people looking to further their skills within the dairy industry.

The awards are open to anyone living in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset or Dorset.

Applicants were interviewed at county level with the best five chosen to move on to the Finals Day – which was kindly hosted this year at The Bath and West Showground near Shepton Mallet.

Judges on the day represented the breadth of the dairy sector with independent farmers, an agricultural accountant and charity trustees on the panel.

Chair of the West Country Dairy Awards, Devon farmer, Richard Kallaway said: “The quality and confidence shown by our finalists in their interviews was inspiring but what really shone through was their passion for the industry.

“I say it every year, but these finalists continue to show that the industry will be in safe hands for many years to come.”