Undertaking a Nuffield Farming Scholarship is a “once in-a-lifetime opportunity” to travel the world, make new contacts and develop your skills, current Nuffield Director, Trevor Alcorn has said.
Speaking at an event for prospective and current Nuffield Scholars held last Thursday, Alcorn said he is still actively involved in Nuffield activities and keeps in contact with many of the people he visited during his scholarship, awarded in 2015.
“There are lots of opportunities. It is priceless. The contacts you make are fantastic,” said the CAFRE dairy adviser.
The latest application window for a Nuffield scholarship closes at 12pm on Thursday 31 July.
Applicants should be aged between 25 and 45 and be established in a career within farming, food, horticulture or other rural industries.
Successful applicants will be conferred in October and have 18 months to undertake their travel – this travel must last for a period no less than eight weeks and can be to anywhere in the world.
Alcorn said it was important to “choose a topic you are passionate about”.
A bursary of around £8,500 will be given for travel and subsistence and the total value of an award is in excess
of £16,000.
There are between 20 and 25 awards made across the UK each year.
With around 100 applications, it is a competitive process, which might require someone to try again in a
subsequent year.
In recent times, there has been one NI scholar every other year, although local representatives would be keen to see that increase to at least one or two a year, said Alcorn.
He also said he would like to see more people who are directly involved in farming, coming forward with applications.
Herd focused on maternal traits
Last Thursday’s event for potential and existing Nuffield Scholars was held on the farm of Ciaran Hamill, Upper Ballinderry, Co Antrim.
The current chair of the NI Nuffield Scholars Group and a 2008 Nuffield Scholar, Hamill recently retired from CAFRE Greenmount. He runs a herd of 21 pedigree cows plus 70 commercial ewes across 70 acres, 40 of which is rented ground.
This young bull has been sold to a repeat customer.
The cows are mainly Limousin and are all AI bred, mostly to French bulls.
“I pay a lot of attention to the figures and especially to the maternal figures,” he said, adding that his customers want bulls that are easy calving, have good legs and feet, are durable and produce daughters with good maternal ability.
The herd is performance recorded and the aim is to calve all heifers at two years old.
Calving takes place between April and June. Out of 21 calvings in 2025, there are 23 living calves.
Cows and heifers are scanned in October and any not in-calf are normally culled. Any animals that are cross at calving are also slaughtered.
The sheep on the farm are run as a commercial enterprise and crossed to either a New Zealand Suffolk or Texel tup.
There are 21 pedigree cows in Ciaran Hamill's herd.
Undertaking a Nuffield Farming Scholarship is a “once in-a-lifetime opportunity” to travel the world, make new contacts and develop your skills, current Nuffield Director, Trevor Alcorn has said.
Speaking at an event for prospective and current Nuffield Scholars held last Thursday, Alcorn said he is still actively involved in Nuffield activities and keeps in contact with many of the people he visited during his scholarship, awarded in 2015.
“There are lots of opportunities. It is priceless. The contacts you make are fantastic,” said the CAFRE dairy adviser.
The latest application window for a Nuffield scholarship closes at 12pm on Thursday 31 July.
Applicants should be aged between 25 and 45 and be established in a career within farming, food, horticulture or other rural industries.
Successful applicants will be conferred in October and have 18 months to undertake their travel – this travel must last for a period no less than eight weeks and can be to anywhere in the world.
Alcorn said it was important to “choose a topic you are passionate about”.
A bursary of around £8,500 will be given for travel and subsistence and the total value of an award is in excess
of £16,000.
There are between 20 and 25 awards made across the UK each year.
With around 100 applications, it is a competitive process, which might require someone to try again in a
subsequent year.
In recent times, there has been one NI scholar every other year, although local representatives would be keen to see that increase to at least one or two a year, said Alcorn.
He also said he would like to see more people who are directly involved in farming, coming forward with applications.
Herd focused on maternal traits
Last Thursday’s event for potential and existing Nuffield Scholars was held on the farm of Ciaran Hamill, Upper Ballinderry, Co Antrim.
The current chair of the NI Nuffield Scholars Group and a 2008 Nuffield Scholar, Hamill recently retired from CAFRE Greenmount. He runs a herd of 21 pedigree cows plus 70 commercial ewes across 70 acres, 40 of which is rented ground.
This young bull has been sold to a repeat customer.
The cows are mainly Limousin and are all AI bred, mostly to French bulls.
“I pay a lot of attention to the figures and especially to the maternal figures,” he said, adding that his customers want bulls that are easy calving, have good legs and feet, are durable and produce daughters with good maternal ability.
The herd is performance recorded and the aim is to calve all heifers at two years old.
Calving takes place between April and June. Out of 21 calvings in 2025, there are 23 living calves.
Cows and heifers are scanned in October and any not in-calf are normally culled. Any animals that are cross at calving are also slaughtered.
The sheep on the farm are run as a commercial enterprise and crossed to either a New Zealand Suffolk or Texel tup.
There are 21 pedigree cows in Ciaran Hamill's herd.
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