Bring passion and you will have what it takes to be a Nuffield Scholar!
That’s according to Nuffield Australia Chief Executive Officer Jodie Redcliffe as applications for the 2023 scholarship program approach a deadline on June 17.
This will be the first year since Covid-19 that scholars will be able to travel and fully immerse themselves in the spirit of global learning; and Nuffield’s impressive offering will include a $30 thousand dollar bursary, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the most influential players in agriculture from around the world.
Jodie Redcliffe said this year’s focus is on leading edge global agricultural solutions as well as domestic and international travel.
“We are passionate about experiential learning and we are very committed to that being international travel, but we identified that there’s a lot we’re doing right in Australia, and we should include a domestic component,” Jodie Redcliffe said.
“The other thing that’s changed is that we’ve looked at expanding our definition of a Nuffield Scholar - we’re not just primary producers, we are also those who are involved in agriculture in different ways,” Ms Redcliffe said.
“It might be somebody who’s an agronomist, a lawyer working in agriculture for example, or it might even be a researcher, and those types of people can be Nuffield Scholars as well,” she said.
“We don't require a university degree, we don't require a long list of accolades, we’re looking at the person and their passion and their ability to make change.”
2022 Nuffield Scholar, Jesse Moody from Cunnamulla said he hoped his project investigating the correlation between livestock businesses and soil health would help influence others to make positive changes on their land.
“My project will help producers make more well informed decisions in dry periods,” Jesse Moody said.
2022 Scholar from Cunnamulla, Jesse Moody, shares candid photos of his life on-farm via his Instagram (Image: Supplied Jesse Moody).
“Our carrying capacities out here in the South-West are declining. That's why I'm starting to look at why that's happening and why it's happening across arid Australia,” Mr Moody said.
“I was always going to be studying the correlation between livestock businesses and soil health - but Nuffield gave me a hand and gave me a faster way to learn it. It’s allowing me to take advantage of something I've always wanted to learn,” he said.
“Soil health is the backbone of all our businesses - if you have poor soil health you’ll have poor livestock and it’ll cost you more to get them ready for sale. The healthier your soil is, the healthier your business will be.”
Mr Moody said while he was not academically inclined, his passion for agriculture drove him to secure the bursary.
“I’ve gotten to talk to people in the industry I never would have had access to before because of the scholarship. It’ll provide me with a lot more confidence in that I'll be making the correct decisions on my land,” Jesse Moody said.
“We’re living in a golden age of agriculture at the moment, this is really an advantageous time to be in the industry,” Mr Moody said.
Mr Moody’s advice to those considering applying is to back themselves and go for it.
“It can be daunting to apply for a scholarship but you’ve just got to go out of your comfort zone, because the reward is so much higher,” he said.
Applications for the 2023 Nuffield Scholarshipwill close on Friday the 17 June 2022. To apply for a Nuffield Scholarship, head to: https://www.nuffield.com.au/how-to-apply and fill in an application form.
