County Derry agriculture students receive industry backing

The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) recently celebrated the success of Agriculture degree students, including three from County Derry, at this year’s Bursary and Scholarship Awards event.

The event showcased the powerful impact of long-standing industry partnerships and the generous financial support from companies who continue to invest in the next generation of agricultural professionals studying at Greenmount Campus.

The 2026 CAFRE Industry Support Programme awarded £39,000 to students studying Agriculture programmes at CAFRE. Students enrolled on the Ulster University validated BSc (Hons) Degree and Foundation Degree Agriculture programmes, and the Queen’s University Belfast BSc (Hons) Degree in Agricultural Technology programme were eligible to apply.

Twenty Bursary awards, valuing £31,500 were presented to first year Agriculture students. Bursaries were provided by Abbey Autoline, Ai Services, Bank of Ireland, Calor Gas Ltd, Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, Dale Farm, Danske Bank, Genus ABS, Gibson Trust, Irish Farmers’ Journal, John Thompson and Sons Ltd, Lakeland Dairies, Lantra, Livestock and Meat Commission, National Sheep Association NI, Tyrone Farming Society, Ulster Farmers’ Union, the Ulster Grassland Society and Yara.

Additionally, three second-year students were presented with Scholarship awards worth £7,500 from the ABP Food Group, Fane Valley Stores and Pilgrim’s Europe.

Across County Derry, successful students were Jack McDonald (pictured below) from Garvagh who was presented with the Danske Bank Bursary and Sarah Hatrick (main picture above) from Tobermore who was presented with the Fane Valley Bursary.  Jack is studying on the first year of the Foundation Degree in Agriculture and Technology at Greenmount Campus while Sarah is studying for a BSc (Hons) Degree in Agricultural Technology.

Fearghal McErlean (pictured below) from Derry was presented with a Bursary from Yara. Fearghal is studying for a BSc (Hons) Degree in Agricultural Technology.

Speaking at the CAFRE combined Industry Support Programme Awards event, Mr Paul McHenry, interim CAFRE Director commented: “To secure the long-term success and competitiveness of Northern Ireland’s agriculture industry, it is essential to maintain a strong pipeline of professionally trained and highly motivated new entrants. The Industry Support programme allows Agriculture businesses to invest directly in the sector’s future by providing meaningful support to CAFRE students. Today, we celebrate the Bursary awards presented to our first-year students, while our second-year students look forward to engaging with industry partners during their placement year as they receive their Scholarship awards.”

READ NEXT: Tractor pulling festival set to be bigger than ever when it returns to Dungiven this July

Attendees heard a clear message: driving sustainability, competitiveness, innovation and resilience will be key to the agriculture sector’s future success. “There will, of course, be challenges ahead, but they also open the door to new opportunities. Armed with the knowledge, skills and attributes gained at CAFRE, our students are ready to step into the industry with confidence to build rewarding careers” concluded Mr McHenry.

Sharon McLaren, interim Head of Agriculture Education commented: “We are delighted to welcome new providers; Ai Services, Bank of Ireland, Dairy Council NI, Genus ABS and Lantra to the Bursary programme this year. We hope both the businesses and Bursary recipients will benefit from the rewards of these new connections. We are indebted to all the businesses and organisations who continue to support Agriculture education provision at CAFRE.”

CAFRE offers full-time and part-time Agriculture courses from Level 2 through to BSc (Honours) Degree.