Two promising postgraduate agricultural students from Wales have been selected to receive a national award from The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust to support their studies.

The Centenary Award was launched by rural insurer NFU Mutual to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2010 and aims to support agricultural leaders of the future, and champion research and innovation within the industry.

It provides annual bursaries to pay up to 75% of course fees for selected postgraduate students in agriculture.

The 2022 Centenary Award recipients from Wales are Frances Thomas from Brecon who is studying for an in MSc Agrifood Innovation at Aberystwyth University and Colin Markham from Tywyn who is pursuing an MSc in Agricultural Economics at the University of Reading.

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Colin said: “It is a real honour to have NFU Mutual supporting my postgraduate studies.

"My long-term career aspiration is to become an agent of positive change within the agricultural industry, and my upbringing on a hill farm in the Snowdonia National Park has given me a deep-rooted appreciation for a thriving agricultural industry, and the role it plays in supporting rural communities and broader society across the UK."

Frances’ postgraduate studies will commence in January next year, and she is passionate about playing a part in influencing the future of UK agriculture.

Frances said: "I relish the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and advance my career position with the support of this prestigious award.

"This master’s course will provide me with knowledge and expertise of measuring environmental impacts and effective waste management strategies within food supply chains.

"I am particularly interested in developing my knowledge and expertise in sustainability, and how agriculture and livestock farming can improve its position working towards reaching our net-zero targets."

Announcing the award’s recipients for 2022, Jim McLaren MBE, NFU Mutual Chairman, said: “Our aim for the Centenary Award is to support promising individuals who are passionate about making a difference to the future of UK agriculture, and to champion their important areas of study.

"We are delighted to be supporting Frances and Colin with our Centenary Award bursaries, and wish them all the very best for their postgraduate courses."