A young farmer from Crickhowell is among six recipients of a prestigious Welsh agricultural scholarship aimed at supporting the next generation of industry leaders through international travel and learning.

Bethan Jones, 19, has been awarded £400 from the Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Travel Scholarship to support a study trip to New Zealand, where she plans to explore sustainable farming practices and diversification opportunities.

Bethan, who grew up on her family’s sheep farm, helps manage a flock of 500 Welsh ewes and is involved in all aspects of the day-to-day running of the farm, including lambing, flock management and sheep handling. She said the experience overseas will help her explore opportunities and gain experience, particularly in areas such as sustainability, diversification and resilience.

Her scholarship was presented at the Royal Welsh Show on Tuesday, July 22 by NFU Mutual Chairman Jim McLaren.

The Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Travel Scholarship is administered by NFU Cymru in memory of Gareth Raw Rees, a long-serving NFU Council delegate and Chairman of the NFU Education Committee. He was a passionate advocate for the educational value of travel for young people in farming.

This year, a total of £4,450 was awarded to six scholars from across Wales. The main recipient was Rowan Gear, 21, from Bridgend, who received £1,500 to fund his travels to New Zealand to study sheep management and animal husbandry. This is the largest amount ever awarded by the scholarship.

Other recipients include Rebecca John from Haverfordwest, Elin Rattray from Aberystwyth, Oliver Jones from Raglan, and Rhun Crimes from Llanbedr Pont Steffan, who will travel to destinations including New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Thailand, and Vietnam to study various aspects of agriculture.

The scholarship is grateful to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for its support of the fund.