Myerscough agriculture student recognised in national competition

Katie Kirkwood, a second year BSc Agriculture student, was a runner-up in the prestigious Farm Health Management awards.

The awards – staged by The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) - and sponsored by Volac, aim to demonstrate an understanding of, and test students’ knowledge of, proactive farm health management – a vital element of the Agriculture Act.

The competition is split into three categories: students at agricultural colleges, agricultural universities and vet schools.

Each candidate submitted a 1,500 word essay on proactive farm health management and explained how they thought it was integral in delivering health and welfare improvements on farm.

The awards were judged by RABDF Policy Director Tim Brigstocke and RABDF Trustee Sarah Tomlinson.

Above: Katie Kirkwood

Sarah Tomlinson says it was a privilege, as a RABDF Trustee, to judge the Farm Health Planning essays.

“All of the entries were clearly passionate about the importance of proactive health planning on farm, many mentioning the government support available for farmers, including the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, the grant schemes and the Medicine Hub,’’ she said.

“The winners stood out as they really grasped the value of collaboration, not just within the farm team, but with external advisers like the private vet, nutritionists and other paraprofessionals.

‘’It was also clear to see they understood the importance of monitoring data and the impact endemic disease can have on costs and long term financial and environmental sustainability of a business.”

The awards were announced on the Dairy Hub at the recent Dairy-Tech and were presented by Sarah Banks, Volac's Head of Marketing and Sustainability, Animal Nutrition.