Lincoln University student, Tim Sheed, has been announced as this year’s recipient of Ravensdown’s Hugh Williams Scholarship.

Tim, 21, is about to start his third year of study towards a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Lincoln University and will use the scholarship to fund his fees for the year, giving him more time to focus on his studies and to dive into work experience at Ravensdown throughout the year.

My family has dealt with Ravensdown for years and I admire the respect that the company has built within the farming community. I’ve always wanted to work for Ravensdown one day and am looking forward to my work experience with them this year.

Tim’s interest in the agricultural sector was sparked by his upbringing as the third generation to lend a hand on his family’s sheep and beef farm in Beautiful Valley, South Canterbury.

“I grew up farming alongside my grandfather, John Sheed, and my dad, Hamish, and have always loved the industry.

“One of the highlights of my studies has been our North Island tour, where we visited seven arable, dairy, sheep and beef farms in Manawatu. This showed me that there’s no one size fits all approach to farming – each farmer faces challenges unique to their property, which is something that I love about the sector.

Tim is intending to add an extra year to his studies to complete an Honours degree, specialising in arable crop protection so he can pass on lessons about growing successful arable crops to farmers.

“I’m always going to be part of the farming sector, but when I graduate, I want to be an agronomist – an expert in soil management and crop production.

“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector and I want to use my degree to help farmers grow crops in ways that are sustainable and consider the environment.

“What we’re learning now will put the sector in good stead to face the challenges of climate change over the coming years and I’m looking forward to learning more as I continue my degree. Winning the Hugh Williams scholarship is another step toward achieving my goals.”   

The scholarship offers $5,000 per year for a student studying agriculture or horticulture at Lincoln or Massey universities for the duration of their studies. In addition, the recipient is also offered a paid holiday internship with Ravensdown.

You can read more about the Ravensdown Hugh Williams Scholarship on our careers page.