A MEIFOD resident was among a number of farmers who received a travel scholarship of over £1,000 at the Royal Welsh Show.

Manon Lewis was the main winner of the Gareth Raw Mees Memorial Travel Scholarship awards and received £1,200 to fund her travels to New Zealand.

The 22-year-old will soon be graduating from Harper Adams University with a degree in Agriculture with Animal Science, and the scholarship money will allow her to fund a four-month study trip to New Zealand to learn more about livestock farming.

She said: “I am fascinated by the low input, self-sufficient production systems in New Zealand, and their drive to be as efficient as possible to improve environmental factors as well as farm profitability.

“I’m eager to learn more about how the farming industry operates in New Zealand and bring back ideas that will help enhance animal performance and welfare through advances in animal health, genetics, and nutrition.

“I aim to put this learning into practice as I develop a career in agriculture and hope to eventually start my own farming enterprise in the near future.”

The Gareth Raw Mees Memorial Travel Scholarship awards a total of £3,800 to scholars wishing to broaden their knowledge of agriculture.

The fund was awarded by the Management Committee following a donation from the National Farmers Union Mutual Charitable Trust.

This year’s awards were presented by Jim McLaren, Chairman of NFU Mutual’s Board of Directors at the Royal Welsh Show on July 19.

There were six further recipients from the scholarship this year who are each receiving a financial contribution to help with their travels.

One of the other recipients was Sioned Davies, a 24-year-old from Merthyr Cynog, who was awarded £750 towards a trip to the USA and South America to advance her knowledge and understanding of agriculture.

She said: “My trip will start in Colorado where scarcity of water is a significant issue and I’m keen to learn how they’re tackling that problem, whereas in South America the challenge is how to protect natural capital in the face of economic growth.

My trip will give me the opportunity to compare different agricultural practices which will give me the knowledge to help develop my career in agriculture.”