The prestigious Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust is featuring in the fictional BBC Radio 4 series, The Archers, following Tom Archer’s interest in Nuffield and the Scholarship opportunity.

Tom is considering applying for a Nuffield Scholarship after visiting an open day at a farm producing ready meals. It’s not long until the deadline date for 2017 applications, so if Tom does decide to apply, he will have to send his application in before 31 July.

Tom’s past farm business experience, his time managing a pig-unit in Canada and his childhood at Bridge Farm have driven an interest in diversification into producing organic baby foods.

If Tom decides to apply and is successful, he will be assigned a sponsor and will receive a bursary of up to £12,000 to fund his study and travels. He will then start 18 months of study, including at least 8 weeks of international travel, providing the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and businesses throughout the world, just as 2009 Nuffield Scholar, Oliver Surman did, he embarked on travels to countries including Japan and New Zealand.

Oliver completed a similar project to that of Tom Archer, focusing on diversification and adding value to farm produce, he applied for the Scholarship to take a step back from the day-to-day running of his family farm and ready meal business.

Oliver believes that his Nuffield experience played a vital part in the success of his family business. “I’d really encourage anyone in agriculture or working in a related industry, to speak to a Scholar or the Nuffield team and find out how a Scholarship can benefit them.”

The deadline for applications is approaching, prospective Scholars, aged between 22 and 45 who demonstrate a passion for the industry they work in, need to apply for the annual award before the deadline July 31 2016.

For further application details visit the Nuffield Farming website at http://www.nuffieldscholar.org/ To catch up with any missed episodes of The Archers, visit: