2 February 2001 Lincoln scholarship among contest prizes

The value of education flies high in the glittering line-up of prizes for New Zealand farming's most prestigious competitive event, the Wrightson AGMARDT Young Farmer Contest.

While the winner carries off a prize package worth $75,000, the second placegetter collects over $18,000 of goodies including a $5000 study scholarship from Lincoln University.

"This scholarship can open the door to a whole range of Lincoln University study options," says the sponsoring University's Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness, Keith Woodford.

"It could be used for entry to a degree or diploma programme, or for short courses connected with professional development such as the Kellogg Rural Leadership Course, or for Regional Education or Regional Diploma papers, or for attending agribusiness, agricultural or horticultural conferences or events.

"The University's aim is to support the Young Farmer Contest in a way that gives someone an educational or professional development bonus.

"Through offering an education-based prize we are giving something of long­ term, on-going benefit," says Professor Woodford. "Furthermore, because we are an educational institution, a prize of this type is intrinsically 'Lincoln' and particularly appropriate."

Lincoln University has been a sponsor of the Young Farmer Contest for a number of years and offered the scholarship prize for the first time in 2000. Stephen Jack of Timaru collected it as part of his second-place winnings. He hasn't put it to use yet but is looking at either a postgraduate course or the Kellogg Rural Leadership Course sometime in the future. In the meantime he is devoting all his energies to taking part in the 2001 Young Farmer Contest with his eyes set on the ultimate accolade of winning.

In addition to the scholarship prize for the second place-getter, all Young Farmer Contest finalists receive copies of Lincoln University's budget and technical manuals and the University also sponsors a Finalists' Dinner on the evening before the Grand Final.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.