A student who has wanted to be a farmer "since a foot tall" has scooped a bursary designed to encourage people from a non-farming background into the industry.
Charlie Rogers, 18, has been awarded this year’s prestigious John Innes Foundation Bursary which supports young people starting agricultural careers.
He is in his first year studying Applied Farm Management at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester and was selected for the bursary from eight applicants.
The annual bursary, which was first awarded in 2018, is aimed at encouraging young people from a non-farming background into the industry.
“My family has nothing to do with farming at all – we have garden at home but that’s it. But a friend of my father manages a farm near Chipping Norton. We went to visit him and I was hooked.
“I got my first proper farming job after secondary school. I just knocked on the door at the local farm and asked if I could have some work experience and ended up working there for both harvest and lambing.”
Professor Nicola Cannon, who works at the RAU, said the bursary was 'a fantastic opportunity' for a student from a non-agricultural background to get a start in their career.
"We hope that this scheme encourages many more bright new entrants into the agricultural sector.”
It covers all course fees as well as giving students the opportunity to work closely with agricultural companies.
Charlie, from Epping in Essex, said: “I have always wanted to get into farming - since I was about a foot tall. Most small boys go through that phase and grow out of it but I don’t think I ever did.
“My family has nothing to do with farming at all – we have garden at home but that’s it. But a friend of my father manages a farm near Chipping Norton. We went to visit him and I was hooked.
“I got my first proper farming job after secondary school. I just knocked on the door at the local farm and asked if I could have some work experience and ended up working there for both harvest and lambing.”
Professor Nicola Cannon, who works at the RAU, said the bursary was 'a fantastic opportunity' for a student from a non-agricultural background to get a start in their career.
"We hope that this scheme encourages many more bright new entrants into the agricultural sector.”
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