Harper Adams victorious once again in this year’s Dairy Student Award

Jon Witter, a student at Harper Adams University, has beaten off five other finalists in a closely fought contest to win this year’s RABDF Dairy Student Award, sponsored by ForFarmers.

The award, which has been running for over a decade, is open to entrants studying at universities and colleges, and is highly regarded throughout the whole sector. Taking the form of 1,500 word essay in response to a case study prepared by Kite Consulting and delivering a presentation to a panel of judges at the Farmer’s Club in London.

The winner was announced at Dairy-Tech, the RABDF’s flagship event, on Wednesday 7 February. The presentation saw Jon take home a cheque for £750. Teddy Moore from Reading University was named the runner up.

The competition, run by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF), is designed to reflect real-life challenges seen on dairy farms and broader policy issues and identify some of the sector’s rising stars and new entrants.

This year’s judging panel consisted of RABDF Chairman Robert Craig, who was joined by Alison Ewing from ForFarmers and Kaia Hillsmith from Kite Consulting.

Commenting on the winner, Mr Craig said: “The standard of this year’s students was incredibly high, making the final decision almost impossible.

“Jon gave an excellent presentation which highlighted his knowledge of dairy farming both at home and on a wider level concerning the industry as a whole.”

“This is the first year ForFarmers have sponsored the award, something we are proud to be associated with,” explains ForFarmers Technical Development Manager, Alison Ewing.

She said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the judging process and meeting the finalists; their passion for the dairy industry was infectious, once nerves were overcome.

“Congratulations to all and especially to Jon and Teddy, as winner and runner-up.  I hope they start their dairy careers with good support and mentors to harness their enthusiasm and knowledge.”

The award winners were announced on the Dairy Hub at Dairy-Tech and were presented by RABDF Chairman Robert Craig.