A program that offers people the opportunity to travel overseas and investigate a topic or issue they are passionate about is seeking applicants from across Australian agriculture, including people working in the rural merchandise and farm advisory sectors, their suppliers and clients.
Applications open on 1 March for the 2023 round of Churchill Fellowships – a non-academic award open to people from all walks of life, with no formal qualifications required to meet the criteria.
Recipients are provided with fully funded travel for four to eight weeks, and support from the Winston Churchill Trust, so they can meet with international leaders in their topic of interest and explore the latest innovations.
“Churchill Fellowships really are open to anyone passionate about their chosen field of interest,” said Churchill Fellow and Meridian Agriculture director, Mike Stephens, speaking on behalf of the Trust.
“We have had Churchill Fellows who didn’t even complete high school, and who were in the early stages of their careers, with the Fellowship proving to be a life-changing experience that opened new doors to them as individuals.”
Past recipients include Mr Stephens, who investigated ways to improve farm business management; DLF Seeds Australia research manager Martin Harmer, who explored ways to help farmers make informed pasture variety choices that reduce risk and optimise profits; James de Barro, from Alpha Group Consulting at Keith SA, who looked at commercial pollination systems in lucerne seed production; and Rounding Up founder Tony Eyres, who assessed the use of satellite and internet technology in agriculture.
The Trust is also seeking assistance from rural retail businesses and farm consultants to help identify leading farmers from among their customers and clients who might make suitable applicants and encouraging them to apply.
The precise topic of focus is completely up to the applicant, who designs their own itinerary. However, they applicants are expected to have worked through the issue thoroughly in Australia, exhausting locally available knowledge. Importantly, they must also demonstrate potential benefits to their industry and be willing to share the findings on their return.
Aside from general Fellowships, specific national and state-based sponsored Fellowships are also being offered in a range of fields, including dairy, horticulture and the tropical pastoral industry.
They include the Jack Green Churchill Fellowship for topics relating to the dairy industry, the Saskia Beer Churchill Fellowship to investigate artisanal food production and small-scale farming, and the Hort Innovation Churchill Fellowship to cultivate new ideas in horticulture.
For more information the Churchill Trust website.
The application round opens on 1 March 2023 and closes 1 May 2023. Recipients will be announced in September 2023.
