PASTURE research specialists are being urged to submit an application for a range of scholarships and fellowships being offered through the AW Howard Memorial Trust.
The unique Howard Trust focuses on one of the under-rated powerhouses of Australian agricultural - pastures.
Established in 1964 to commemorate the unique contribution of Amos Howard in the discovery and use of subterranean clover as a pasture plant in Australia, the Trust each year seeks applications from the research and academic community for its various awards, grants, scholarships and fellowships.
Applications are currently being sought for Post-Graduate Research Fellowships and the Tim Healey Memorial Scholarship, closing October 31.
The not-for-profit AW Howard Memorial Trust has awarded more than 400 grants of various descriptions since it was established in 1964 by the then Australian Institute of Agricultural Science (now Ag Institute Australia) through donations from benefactors.
One of those recipients who has benefited enormously from the Trust's funding program has been Jane Kelly, who received a Post-Graduate Research Fellowship to support her PhD studies into the economic and animal welfare impact of barley grass seed contamination in sheep.
A lecturer in livestock production management at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, Dr Kelly encourages others to seek out the awards on offer.
"I cannot speak highly enough of the Trust and the value of its support of agricultural research," Dr Kelly said.
"I would not have been able to complete my studies without the assistance I received through the AW Howard Fellowship."
Unique in its focus on pasture-related research and development, the AW Howard Memorial Trust Research Fellowships are provided in the form of top-up postgraduate stipends of $10,000 per year for up to three and a half years, are awarded to Australian postgraduate students or those holding similar awards.
Also on offer is the Tim Healey Memorial Scholarship which was established by the Cooperative Research Centre for Future Farm Industries in recognition of a former Board Member, the late Dr Tim Healey.
It offers a $10,000 annual postgraduate stipend 'top-up' for up to three and a half years for holders of Research Training Program awards or equivalent for research in a field that benefits the future of Australian farming.
Study areas include pastures, livestock management, farming systems, agronomy, farm business management, woody crops, on-farm biodiversity and socio-economic aspects of farming.
Application forms are available on the Trust's website, https://bit.ly/3f3Pxkw.
More information is available via the Trust's executive officer, phone (08) 8303 9400 or email howard.trust@sa.gov.au.
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