The Irish Seed Trade Association (ISTA) has presented the first bursaries from the programme it launched earlier this year to promote crops and agronomy as a career.
Four winners have been announced. They are:
Cormac Flynn.Grace Hennessy.Harry Bye.Katie Nolan.Two of those awards were presented last week at the UCD School of Agriculture Awards Night to first year students Katie Nolan from Wexford, who is studying crop science and Harry Bye from Meath who is studying agricultural science.
ISTA president Tim O’Donovan presented the awards. He said: “The tillage sector needs capable, interested students to pursue careers in crops to support the future viability of the sector.
“Members of The Irish Seed Trade are conscious of the need to plant the seed early in students minds that a career in crops can be very rewarding. The sector offers opportunities in seed testing, agronomy, sales and research among other roles.”
The awards are being carried out in partnership with the Irish Agricultural Science Teachers’ Association. Students can enter the competition based on their agricultural science project for their leaving certificate. Anyone interested in entering should ask their agricultural science teacher for more information.
The award, which was launched in 2025, will have four national winners each year who receive €500 each. Of these winners, those who choose a crops specific course at third level will receive a further €1,000 in each year of the course.
Students who study agriculture in college will receive a further €500 in year one in college and students who choose crops electives or thesis projects in the subsequent three years will receive a further €500 per year.
Hear from the winners
Katie Nolan attended Enniscorthy Community College and her agricultural science teacher was Ms Somers.
Katie carried out her project on malting barley. She worked at a malting barley intake for three years, where she said, she learned a lot on the job and wondered how hard it could be to grow malting barley, so she set up a trial growing malting barley, including different varieties. She sought advice from local tillage farmers and her colleagues. Katie wants to become an agronomist after college.
Harry Bye is from Ballivor in Co Meath. He attended Wilsons Hospital School in Multyfarmham Co Westmeath. His teacher was Peter Keaney. Harry comes from a livestock farm, but has a big interest in crop production. For his project he investigated how the application methods of organic fertilisers affected the performance of crops and soil health.
The Irish Seed Trade Association (ISTA) has presented the first bursaries from the programme it launched earlier this year to promote crops and agronomy as a career.
Four winners have been announced. They are:
Cormac Flynn.Grace Hennessy.Harry Bye.Katie Nolan.Two of those awards were presented last week at the UCD School of Agriculture Awards Night to first year students Katie Nolan from Wexford, who is studying crop science and Harry Bye from Meath who is studying agricultural science.
ISTA president Tim O’Donovan presented the awards. He said: “The tillage sector needs capable, interested students to pursue careers in crops to support the future viability of the sector.
“Members of The Irish Seed Trade are conscious of the need to plant the seed early in students minds that a career in crops can be very rewarding. The sector offers opportunities in seed testing, agronomy, sales and research among other roles.”
The awards are being carried out in partnership with the Irish Agricultural Science Teachers’ Association. Students can enter the competition based on their agricultural science project for their leaving certificate. Anyone interested in entering should ask their agricultural science teacher for more information.
The award, which was launched in 2025, will have four national winners each year who receive €500 each. Of these winners, those who choose a crops specific course at third level will receive a further €1,000 in each year of the course.
Students who study agriculture in college will receive a further €500 in year one in college and students who choose crops electives or thesis projects in the subsequent three years will receive a further €500 per year.
Hear from the winners
Katie Nolan attended Enniscorthy Community College and her agricultural science teacher was Ms Somers.
Katie carried out her project on malting barley. She worked at a malting barley intake for three years, where she said, she learned a lot on the job and wondered how hard it could be to grow malting barley, so she set up a trial growing malting barley, including different varieties. She sought advice from local tillage farmers and her colleagues. Katie wants to become an agronomist after college.
Harry Bye is from Ballivor in Co Meath. He attended Wilsons Hospital School in Multyfarmham Co Westmeath. His teacher was Peter Keaney. Harry comes from a livestock farm, but has a big interest in crop production. For his project he investigated how the application methods of organic fertilisers affected the performance of crops and soil health.
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