Powys woman named Harper Adams student of the year

Hannah Burgoyne, from Llanymynech, who hopes to "shape the future of farming through precision technology" has won this year’s Harper Cymry/Royal Welsh Agricultural Society Student of the Year award.

Hannah, who is currently studying BSc (Hons) Business Management with Marketing, was given the award this week at a special presentation at the 2023 Royal Welsh Show.

The Student of the Year Award was established in 1999 by the late Bill Ratcliffe, a Harper Adams Fellow and founder of the Harper Cymry alumni association.

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“I am very proud to have won this award, as the Royal Welsh is something that I enjoy and is hosted at a venue that I attend more than once a year, at events such as the Royal Welsh Show, Winter Fair, and YFC competitions,” said Hannah.

“I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this community and now I feel much closer to it - I am very proud to have been recognised as the student worthy to have won this award.

“It has given me the confidence to put myself out there and try to achieve more in life, through either different experiences, jobs - and potentially other awards.”

The award is open to final year undergraduates who have lived in Wales for at least the past five years and is given to those who have contributed to the Harper Cymru student society and the broader Harper Adams student community.

The winner receives a cash prize and automatic eligibility for the Future Farmers of Wales programme.

Hannah – whose family farm is centred around beef cattle and which also includes a DIY Livery yard – is hoping to combine her award-winnings and the principles she has learnt during her time at Harper Adams to new ventures as the business diversifies.

Hannah was praised for her win by Royal Welsh Show chief executive Aled Rhys Jones, who said: “The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society is proud to support this award, which recognises the outstanding potential of the next generation.”

Her prize comes at the end of her four years of study at Harper, which Hannah has praised for both setting her on the path to a new career – and for helping her make friends for life.

She added: “Without Harper, I would not have been able to have the opportunity to gain a placement with John Deere UK and Ireland.

“This was an amazing experience where I travelled all around the UK, learnt, and met lots of people - and I’d like to have a career with them in the future.

“After I graduate, I hope to help my family businesses at home – however, I’m looking to have a future in precision agriculture, as this is something that I am really interested in, and to be able to go back to John Deere would be a great achievement.

“Precision agriculture is the future and farmers need to be aware of what’s out there, as this can make a huge difference to farming and help them reduce operating costs and increase profits.

“I believe that farming needs more business approaches and farmers need to understand their businesses more - and I would love to be able to make a difference in this sector by supporting its uptake by farmers.”