A visIt to the House of Lords...

Four extremely capable individuals will benefit from the Farmers Club Charitable Trust’s 2020 Agricultural Educator Awards. Charles Abel reports. 

FOUR enthusiastic farming educators have been selected to receive special support from the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, undertaking innovative studies in Brazil, New Zealand, Denmark, USA and The Netherlands.

Over nearly four decades the Trust has provided close to £700,000 of funding to help agricultural educators develop their knowledge and expertise, to support a broad range of UK farming activities.

This year’s successful candidates plan to take a closer look at agri-tech, fish farming, integrated pest management and remote apprenticeship training – as soon as is practicable. 

The awards have been made despite the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the trustees feeling it was important to maintain such an important initiative. Even so, the selection panel was delayed, taking place in September rather than the more normal early Spring date. 

“We nearly ran the panel in March, but at the very last-minute lockdown just prevented us from doing so,” reflected Trust Ambassador Lisa Turner. “So, we were really pleased to go ahead in the Club in London in September, with candidates travelling from as far afield as Northern Ireland. – it is such an important award designed to help those employed in agricultural education to widen and develop their own technical expertise through study activities either in the UK or abroad.  This round of awards has seen the trust distribute £23,300.” 

Chair of the selection panel was Prof Quintin McKellar CBE, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, Non-Executive Director of CIEL, and Chair of the University Vocational Awards Council, Pirbright Institute Board of Trustees, and the National Centre for Universities and Business Food Economy Task Force. He was accompanied by 2020 Farmers Club Chairman Allan Stevenson and FCCT Trustees Vic Croxson and Des Lambert OBE. 

“It was wonderful to be able to gather in the Club, safely, to meet such inspiring young people, all looking to drive our industry forwards,” noted Farmers Club Chairman Allan Stevenson. “I was delighted by the high standard of applicant and really look forward to hearing how they get on with their travels in due course.”  

Lisa has recently been appointed to support the Trustees in promoting the bursaries and grants that the trust offers to the agricultural community (in both education, farming and allied industries). 

Trustees identified a need to improve the communication and broadcasting of outomes to a wider audience to maximises the benefits from the Trust's activities.  

With a background in both agriculture and education Lisa will become a key point of contact for colleges, universities and industries looking to expand their knowledge and skills through professional development of their staff.  

Lisa said, "I am passionate about agriculture and recognise the importance of education in ensuring its continued sustainability, to assist personally through this role will be extremely rewarding."

Soon after starting her role Lisa was invited to the Landex Spring Conference and met with Further and Higher Education leaders to explain more about the Trust and the opportunities that could be available to them.  

Anyone wanting to speak to Lisa can contact her through the 'contact us page' or

Email:  ambassador@tfcct.co.uk

Telephone: 07879 625660

In most years the Trust makes grants of over £20,000. In 2010,  despite the economic downturn, grants totalling £30,000 were made, in  support of studies in Uruguay, Uganda, Canada, Australia, Germany and  the USA. The diversity of subjects (see list) is a wonderful testament  to the enthusiasm of the applicants and highlights the very great value  to the whole UK farming industry.

Over the years beneficiaries have come mainly from educational  establishments and the extension services throughout the United Kingdom.  Having served as ambassadors of the Farmers Club and UK farming during  their study tours many have gone on to play leading roles in the  education sector. Reports published in the Journal highlight the very  high quality of the award recipients and the excellence of their work.

The post-graduate award assists those employed in agricultural  education, aged 22 to 50, to widen and develop their own technical  expertise outside the UK, enhancing their own career prospects and  ultimately benefitting all the students for which they are responsible  by sharing their experiences with future generations working in farming  and the allied industries and professions.

The closing date for applicants is mid-February each year, with  interviews of short-listed candidates conducted in mid-March and grants  awarded thereafter, for post-graduate short-term study tours, normally  overseas and rarely exceeding six weeks.

Thirty years ago the Farmers Club Charitable Trust was established to  “promote the science and technology of agriculture in all its aspects  for the public benefit”. Three decades later the Trust has delivered  more than £500,000 of funding for a wide range of farming projects,  taking UK agriculturalists to all four corners of the globe.

At its inception the Trustees were keen to broaden the experience of  those educating future generations of agriculturalists, and to  facilitate the exchange of academic knowledge. Thirty years later, with  the industry facing new challenges and an urgent need for a better  public understanding of valuable and proven new science, I cannot  envisage a more laudable goal.

The Trust always welcomes new funds by way of donation or legacies to  maintain this valuable work and to add to the Trust endowment funds. If  you feel that you, or an individual, organisation or trust you know can  help, please contact Club Secretary/Chief Executive, Andrei Spence, in  confidence.

Over the past 30 years more than 120 travel bursaries have supported  projects as diverse as fish farming in Japan and Korea, value-added milk  production in Australia, share farming in New Zealand and viticulture  in California. The farming implications of global positioning,  biotechnology, food legislation and molecular science have all come  under scrutiny.

The brainchild of the late Trevor Muddiman,the Trust made its first  grants in 1981,initially funded by donations and covenants from Farmers  Club members, generously matched by the late Sir John Eastwood. In the  late 1990s Trevor Muddiman’s wife, Stella, who is now a valued trustee,  very generously transferred assets from a private family trust to the  Farmers Club Charitable Trust. Over the years other club members and  their families have also made very generous gifts to the trust funds.

This has ensured that the Trust continues to meet its objectives of  disseminating information, providing bursaries, or courses connected  with the study of agriculture, and supporting activities calculated in  particular to advance education and training in agriculture.