Wally Doerksen stepped down as the chair of Nuffield Canada but will stay involved with fund raising and sponsorship programs. Nuffield Canada is seeking application for next year’s scholarships.
Nuffield Canada has a new chairman, but the past chairman is staying on the executive to carry on his commitment to the organization.
Wally Doerksen of Steinbach relinquished the organization’s top spot to Barry Cudmore of Prince Edward Island at the Canadian Nuffield Annual meeting in Winnipeg in late November but he is staying on the executive in an advisory role and to continue working with sponsors to grow the profile of Nuffield Canada and raise awareness in the agricultural industry. Nuffield has sent scholars to study agriculture overseas for 50 years and recently made a commitment to increase the number of scholars Canada sends on overseas studies. When Nuffield Scholarships began in 1950, Canada traditionally sent two participants, one from Eastern Canada and one from Western Canada.
Over the years and through withdrawal of funding from the parent organization, the number of scholars varied, but under Doerksen’s leadership the group has been revived and is committed to not only sending two scholars a year but increasing that number as funding allows.
The Scholarship is available to anyone working in the area of agriculture and is normally granted mid career, “when the scholar has established themselves in a career but is still young enough to use the information gained on the study.” Scholars are typically between the ages of 25 and 45. The award carries no academic requirement. Recipients are expected to present their findings at the AGM following their course of study and make their information available to the Canadian agricultural industry.
This past year Greg Braun of Steinbach was one of the Canadian Scholars and will continue his travels to look at large scale dairy management in other parts of the world.
Braun will deliver his report at the annual meeting to be held in eastern Canada next November.
The annual meeting included more than the required housekeeping measures of the organization. The reports from the previous years’ scholars included a look at potato production and an examination of soil conservation methods employed in other parts of the world.
Nuffield Canada will be accepting applications for next year’s scholarships until April. More information about the organization is available at www.Nuffield.ca.
