Giving students the chance to shine

DairyCo have teamed up with the British Cattle Breeders Club to offer students an opportunity to attend the 2011 British Cattle Conference, which will focus the next generation of dairy producers, by entering an essay writing competition.

The students are asked to submit an essay up to 2500 words long on the subject of; What solution will animal breeding need to offer to ensure a sustainable future for the next generation of dairy producers?

The winning student will not only get the chance to attend the conference, but also the opportunity to present to the delegates at the conference on their findings and conclusions.

The competition is open to all students studying towards an agricultural qualification. The closing date for entries is Friday 17 December 2010. More information can be found on the DairyCo website.

A mirror competition is being supported by EBLEX for essays focusing on the beef sector.

DairyCos aim is to promote world class knowledge to British dairy farmers so they can profit from a sustainable future.

To achieve this DairyCo aims to:

• Ensure farmers have access to world class information needed to improve competitiveness, GHG reduction and productivity
• Ensure farmers have access to direct and indirect support to help them improve their profitability through better business management
• Ensure that dairy farming is reducing its impact on the environment
• Ensure farmers understand the benefits of breeding and use the related tools

DairyCo is funded entirely by milk producers, via a statutory levy on all milk sold off-farm, at the rate of 0.06p per litre.  This provides an annual income of around 6.5m.

DairyCo is a division of the statutory levy board, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).