New scholarship to further research for primary industries

Leading rural investment company Craigmore Sustainables has launched a new scholarship for 2024 in conjunction with Lincoln University.

The Craigmore Sustainables and Wilson Family Sustainability for Primary Industries Scholarship will be awarded to a student undertaking postgraduate study and research in agriculture. As part of the $2,000 annual scholarship, recipients will also have the opportunity to conduct research on a Craigmore dairy farm.

In 2022, the Craigmore Farming team was awarded the John Wilson Memorial Trophy at the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Awards. The award, named in honour of former Fonterra chairman the late John Wilson, came with a cash prize of $10,000 which Craigmore has chosen to put into this new scholarship fund.

Stuart Taylor, Craigmore’s General Manager of Farming, sees the opportunity to give back to the sector and foster future talent as essential.

“Our young people are the ones that will farm our land in the future, and they’re also going to be the ones to come up with the innovation and big ideas that will solve some of the challenges the sector is facing around biodiversity loss and climate change.

“The creation of this scholarship transforms the responsible dairying award to a long-term focus for Craigmore as sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. The scholarship also acknowledges the legacy of the Wilson Family.”

Craigmore also sees the scholarship as an opportunity to establish an ongoing relationship with individuals whose research adds value to the primary industry sector. Craigmore has a reputation for adopting new technology or techniques at a commercial scale in order to help lift productivity and sustainability across all New Zealand farms.

This is Craigmore’s second scholarship with Lincoln University. The first, the Craigmore Sustainables Farming Scholarship, was established in 2014 to also support postgraduate research and study in agriculture and remains in place.