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BURSARY FINALISTS: Winner Bleddyn James Pugh - centre - receives a £1,000 cheque from Alun Edwards while runner-up Aled Pugh Jones is presented with his £500 cheque by FUW deputy president Glyn Roberts. Also pictured is fellow judge Dafydd Williams.[/caption]
Two Aberystwyth University first-year agriculture students who also attended Coleg Llysfasi at Ruthin went head-to-head in the final interviews for the top awards in the Farmers' Union of Wales higher education bursary scheme.
Eighteen-year-olds Bleddyn James Pugh, of Doliago, Llanwrthwl, Llandrindod Wells, and Aled Pugh Jones, of Roff Ithel, Waen, St Asaph, Denbighshire, were shortlisted for interview by a panel of judges during this week's Royal Welsh Winter Fair.
Both submitted 1,000-word essays with their entry forms. Bleddyn chose the topic "What do you think are the main barriers facing young people entering the land-based industries today?" while Aled opted for "Are we a nation of park keepers or food producers?"
Bleddyn was chosen as the winner of the £1,000 bursary by a three-man judges' panel and Aled was awarded £500 as the runner-up.
Bleddyn lives on a mixed hill and upland family farm and has been interested in farming from an early age. "In recent years I have begun to take a more active role in the running of our farm and also work for two contracting companies.
"I spend the first part of the summer working for a local shearing contractor and the second working for a large agricultural contractor in Herefordshire," he said.
"I've also been a loyal member of Rhayader YFC since I was 12, during which time I have competed in various competitions such as fencing and farm safety at county and national level.
"Winning the bursary will enable me to make best use of the nine-month work placement I wish to complete as part of my degree.
"Over recent years our family farm has begun to adopt aspects of the New Zealand-based sheep system to try and make our sheep enterprise more efficient, produce as much from our own grass as possible and reduce our reliance on brought in concentrates.
"As part of my work experience I plan to travel to New Zealand to work as a shearing contractor. However, I would also like to spend time travelling around farms so that I can study their systems and hopefully find additional aspects that I can implement on our own farm.
"I would particularly like to do this in New Zealand because when they stopped receiving government subsidy they had to alter their farming systems very quickly to make it as efficient as possible which involved making the most from farm-grown feed, especially grass, in order to make their farms profitable."
The youngest of four children and brought up on a farm, Aled has shown an interest in farming from an early age and spent a lot of time on his grandmother and uncle's farm. "I was encouraged to help on the farm, especially during lambing and harvest," he said.
"I have also been fortunate to help on the farm of my cousin who shows cattle and sheep and I was very pleased to win a prize at the Royal Welsh Show for showing sheep.
"Recently I acquired a Kelpie dog called George and I'm going to train it to work on the farm. The costs of being a student are very high, including the various books and transport to and from home. I will be travelling home fairly often on weekends to help on the farm - and to train my dog George.
"Winning the bursary will help me financially as I would like to spend a year out in New Zealand and the cost of going and living there will be very expensive.
"More importantly, I'm very aware that getting a degree on its own isn't enough anymore and in order to get a job in the future it is important to obtain extra qualifications so winning a bursary is very helpful when I will be trying for jobs."
Praising the entries of the two finalists, FUW agricultural education and training committee chairman Alun Edwards said the judges were looking forward to following their respective future careers.
"We still have a problem in our schools with how agriculture is perceived so it's a big responsibility of ours to further agriculture as a career. There is potentially a good career in farming and both finalists are also interested in their local community and giving something back.
"We were very, very impressed with the maturity of the essays they submitted and we are inviting them to take part in a meeting of the FUW's new younger voice for farming committee."
During the Winter Fair the union launched its bursary scheme for further education students which will also have a £1,000 award for the winner and £500 for the runner-up.
Application forms can be obtained from FUW Head Office at Llys Amaeth, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3BT (Tel: 01970 820820) or from any of the union's county offices.