Nuffield Canada announces scholarship recipients for 2019

(Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0)

Nuffield Canada has announced five recipients of its scholarships for 2019.

The recipients will receive funding to travel internationally to study a particular topic or issue in agriculture. They’re expected to travel for a minimum of 10 weeks, with at least six weeks of consecutive travel.

“These five scholar candidates will spend the next two years enhancing their leadership and organizational skills while exploring issues critical to Canadian agriculture,” says Ian McPhadden, chair of Nuffield Canada. “A Nuffield Scholarship is a life-changing experience, providing unique opportunities and perspectives that are invaluable to the Canadian agricultural climate.”

The 2019 Nuffield Canada scholarship recipients are (bios supplied):

Ryan Boyd, B.Sc. (Ag), from Forrest Manitoba, sponsored by Western Grains Research Foundation, is the managing partner of South Glanton Farms, a family farming operation of annual crops and beef cattle. Ryan will study grazing ruminants as a resilient solution for long-term agriculture profitability, productivity and climate change.

Mark Brock, B.Sc. (Ag) from Staffa, Ontario, sponsored by Grain Farmers of Ontario, is the owner/operator of Shepherd Creek Farms Ltd. a 1,600-acre row-crop operation that includes 500 ewes producing lamb for the Ontario market. Mark’s study will examine funding and investment models with the goal of creating options for Canadian farmers to confidently make investments that improve efficiencies and return on investment, especially for operations that may find it hard to take advantage of economies of scale.

John Cote, B.Sc. (Ag) from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, sponsored by Nuffield Canada alumni, is co owner of Blackfox Farm and Distillery. Using the distilling, brewing and wine industries as models, investigation will be done to determine contributing factors of success in transition from start-up agri-businesses to growth and expansion phase businesses.

Scott Holtman from Taber, Alberta, sponsored by Alberta Wheat Commission, is a grain producer and seed grower interested in the interaction between striving to build healthy soils with overall water use, health, quality and yield of crops grown under irrigation. His study will examine the many ways this can be done, including microbiology and increased organic matter through methods that include co posting and cover crops.

Dr. Christoph Weder, PhD, from Hudson’s Hope, British Columbia, sponsored by Nuffield Canada Alumni, is the owner/operator of Venator, Sunset & Spirit View Ranches where he and his wife Erika manage 1,800 purebred and commercial Angus cows and 500 Plains Bison on 35,000 acres of range and tame pastures in the Alberta and British Columbia Peace Region. Christoph’s study will focus on ecological goods and services (EGS) and the development of agri-environmental policy to help conserve biodiversity on farms and ranches.

The 2019 group will begin their travels in Iowa in March 2019 when they attend a week-long conference with Nuffield scholars from around the world.

Applications for the 2020 Scholarship program will be due April 30, 2019.

More information on the Nuffield Canada program can be found at www.nuffield.ca.

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