Reducing Run-Off Secures Fieldays Scholarship For Student

17 April, 2013

Reducing Run-Off Secures Fieldays Scholarship For University Of Waikato Student

Finding novel ways to reduce the amount of sediment and nutrient in run-off from farmland has won a University of Waikato student a Fieldays scholarship that’s now into its second year.

The NZ National Fieldays Society funds the university’s New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays Sir Don Llewellyn Scholarship worth $22,000.

The University of Waikato University has a long-standing association with Fieldays – its founding Vice-Chancellor Sir Don Llewellyn was a strong supporter of the event when it began in the 1960s, and the university has for many years been a strategic partner of the National Agricultural Fieldays.

Waikato University Masters student Dylan Clarke won the scholarship to co-fund his PhD research which will investigate the effectiveness of different tools for trapping nutrients and sediment from water leaving farmland during heavy rainfall. The aim is to help find solutions farmers will consider practical and are willing to use.

Dylan grew up on a 450-ha dry-stock farm in the Muriwai Valley, and a combination of being a farmer’s son and an environmental scientist has led him to research ways to treat farm run-off.

“It’s awesome that the Fieldays Society sees this as something that needs research attention. It’s an issue that needs a pragmatic solution and I hope my research will contribute to that,” says Dylan.

Jon Calder, Chief Executive Officer at NZ National Fieldays Society, says “The New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays Sir Don Llewellyn Scholarship is an important part of our programme to support the advancement of agriculture in New Zealand. We are incredibly supportive of the research and technology that the University of Waikato drives into improving agriculture and we are proud to support Dylan’s work, the results of which could be highly beneficial not just to farmers but the environment.”

University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Crawford says the Fieldays scholarship was introduced to fund highly relevant research that will make real-world differences to the agricultural industry.

“We established the scholarship last year in partnership with the NZ National Fieldays Society to help fund students completing research that we believe will change how people farm.”

“The university’s presence at the Fieldays event is designed to showcase a lot of the research and technology we develop that is going to have a big impact on the agricultural sector. Dylan’s work is another major contribution to our region and nation.”

Fieldays takes place 12-15 June this year at Mystery Creek near Hamilton.

ENDS

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