The National Sheep Association (NSA) has selected two young sheep farmers to embark on a study trip to New Zealand to explore the application of science in sheep production.
The winners, Lucy Griffiths from Presteigne, Powys, and Perry Parkinson from Dumfries, will receive a £2,750 travel bursary each to attend the trip.
Griffiths and Parkinson were selected as the winners of the NSA’s Samuel Wharry Award for the Next Generation programme, which aims to aid innovation and enthusiasm in young sheep farmers in the UK.
The funding for the trip is provided by the NSA alongside the Company of the Merchants of the Staple of England (the Staple).
NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker, said the award offers young sheep farmers support and inspiration to travel and discover the roles that science and technology play in the improvement of the worldwide sheep flock.
“After the world of travel was closed off for so long due to the covid pandemic, it is especially pleasing to be able to award the bursaries to Lucy and Perry this year,” he said.
“All at NSA and the Staple are excited to be part of their journeys and wish them the very best with their studies.”
The process
After being shortlisted from many applications for the award, Griffiths and Parkinson were selected as winners by the panel of judges, which included NSA and industry representatives.
The panel was led by Stephen Fell, a Staple representative and sheep breeder from North Yorkshire.
Speaking on behalf of the Staple, Fell said: “The Company of the Merchants of the Staple of England is once again delighted to be sponsoring the NSA Samuel Wharry Memorial Award.
“This is a great opportunity for the two young people from our sheep industry to travel and broaden their minds in other countries.
“The successful recipients this year, Perry and Lucy, both interviewed very well and their chosen topics will certainly produce reports of real topical interest,” he said.
Lucy Griffiths
Griffiths is a final year agriculture student at Harper Adams University in Newport and farms alongside her family on their mixed farm in Mid-Wales.
She plans to investigate different options for outwintering of stock on her NSA-funded study trip.
Her chosen topic is relevant to her family’s system, which currently outwinters breeding ewes and lambs on forage crops as part of the crop rotation.
Speaking on receiving the award, Griffiths said: “It is a privilege to be chosen as a recipient and to represent young UK sheep farmers.
“I am excited to travel, hopefully to both New Zealand and Australia, to see firsthand their sheep systems, with a focus on outwintering techniques.
“I am sure it will give me extra motivation as I complete my final year at Harper Adams University,” she said.
Perry Parkinson
Parkinson is a head shepherd at the Scotland’s Rural College’s (SRUC) Barony campus, and is hoping to study anthelmintic resistance in sheep during his trip.
He created an egg count map on the college farm, which aids assessment of high and low risk fields and helps in decision on planting of grasses and other crops in order to reduce the risk.
Speaking on the award, Parkinson said: “The NSA Samuel Wharry Memorial Award is a great opportunity for any young sheep farmer to travel and view farming in other parts of the world, and having the backing of NSA and the Staple is fantastic.
“I’m excited to plan and undertake my trip, hopefully bringing back some interesting findings to the UK, not only to utilise myself but to share with others too.”
The award
The NSA’s Samuel Wharry Memorial Award is given in the memory of Samuel Wharry of Carnlough, County Antrim, who was previously chairperson of the NSA.
Wharry died suddenly in May of 2017, aged 56.
As an advocate of science and technology, particularly in relation to genetics, the bursaries are given in Wharry’s memory.
