My career path

I graduated from the RAU in 2014 after completing a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture. In my final year I applied for an ACA training contract at a firm of accountants in Somerset which had a specialist agricultural team.

Whilst competing my Chartered Accountants exams I really enjoyed applying the theory I was learning to my agricultural clients. Having the agricultural knowledge I gained from my time at the RAU was invaluable in understanding my clients’ businesses.

I am a Regional Account Manager at IPF, and my key responsibility is to look after farmers who use the IPF precision farming system. IPF aims to put farmers and agronomists in charge of their land, through the use of cutting-edge land mapping software. Having completed a work placement with IPF as part of my degree, I now spend my time working with farmers from across the region to help them create plans, split their fields into management zones, and maximise efficiency.

My RAU experience

My time at the Royal Agricultural University has had an important and positive influence on my life, I’m so glad that I chose to study here for my degree. From the moment I saw the beautiful setting of the campus, and the welcoming and reassuring attitude of the staff, I felt sure that I had made the right choice – and that feeling was reinforced throughout my course.

I’m studying the BSc (Hons) Agricultural Management top-up degree at the Royal Agricultural University, having spent the previous two years completing the FdSc in Agriculture at Hartpury College.

My grandfather studied at the Royal Agricultural College in the 1950s, and went on to work as a livestock vet North Rhodesia (Zambia) before becoming a Public Relations Office for Unilever. In his spare time, he wrote articles for The Field and Farmers Weekly. We have never had a family farm. The passion for farming seems to have skipped a generation and landed with me.

I’m in my final year of study, on the BSc (Hons) Agricultural Management top-up at the Royal Agricultural University. I’m not from a farming background, but have close friends who are both arable and dairy farmers.

Alongside the core modules, Integrated Farm Project, Emerging Issues in Agriculture, and the Research Project (dissertation), I chose to study Climate Change and Development, Farmland Ecology, New Developments in Agricultural Science, and Rural Business Diversification

I have always wanted to work with horses, but after a week’s work experience as a groom in a very large re-training yard, I decided that wasn't the life for me! Having studied business management at school, and thoroughly enjoying it, I began to look at ways I could combine something I enjoyed academically with my passion for horses.

I decided to study the BSc (Hons) Agriculture course at the Royal Agricultural University because I wasn’t sure which area of agriculture I wanted to pursue. The course has given me good overall knowledge, and allowed me to specialise in my third year.

From a young age, I have always had a passion for property. At first, I developed my residential knowledge from helping out with family property developments. However, I wanted to support this with academic theory, and studying BSc (Hons) Real Estate at the Royal Agricultural University, enabled me to do so. The course combined residential and commercial theory, which appealed to me and assisted me to build a firm foundation for my career in the property industry.

I chose to study BSc (Hons) Agriculture at the RAU because it provided a course with a mixture of business, science, and global issues. The course structure allows you to tailor your studies to your specific interests, or to keep it broad if you are undecided as to which career you would like to pursue. The 20-week work placement provides an opportunity to build on what you have learnt during your first two years, without having to extend your studies by an additional year.

Before I decided to head to the RAU to study the finer details of agriculture, I was working on a mixed beef and arable farm to broaden my knowledge and understanding in the field.

In 2008 the farm diversified, becoming more consumer focused. A sister company was created which specialised in butchery, selling produce from the farm in the farm shop, and at farmers markets. I was thoroughly enjoying my time on the farm, and had not contemplated going to university. It was the encouragement from the farm owner that persuaded me to further my education at university.