The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society is proud to continue its support of the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust, which provides individuals working across farming, food, horticulture and rural sectors with the opportunity to undertake in-depth study and travel, developing their knowledge and bringing new ideas back to the industry.
The RWAS is sponsoring Mid Wales livestock farmer William Davies as the 2027 Royal Welsh Nuffield Scholar. William’s chosen topic is ‘Exploring Globally Scalable Farm Business Models’, examining how agricultural businesses can grow and succeed through different ownership and management structures.
An Agriculture graduate of Aberystwyth University, William has run his own self-employed contract farming business since 2024, taking full management and operational responsibility for the livestock enterprise at Sweet Lamb Estate.
His role covers day-to-day livestock management, budgeting, benchmarking performance and planning improvements. William developed an agreement with the landowners, which includes a profit-sharing element while allowing him to build his own cattle herd and grow his equity in the business.
The experience has given William first-hand insight into building a substantial livestock business without owning the land itself and sparked his interest in the different ways agricultural businesses can be structured and developed.
Through his Nuffield study, William will explore what enables some farm businesses to continue growing while others reach a ceiling. He will look at the role of ownership, access to capital, management, business structure and people, and consider which principles are consistent across different countries and farming systems.
William’s research will cover a range of models, including family and corporate-owned businesses, contract and share farming, leasing, management agreements and investor-backed businesses. He is particularly interested in how successful businesses make decisions, allocate capital, manage risk and measure performance, as well as how they recruit and retain people and maintain standards and accountability as they grow.
William expects to spend around eight weeks travelling, with current plans to include the United States, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand and Kenya. During these visits, he plans to meet farmers, business owners, managers and advisers to understand how successful businesses operate and what enables them to grow sustainably. The travel will be spread across several shorter trips throughout the scholarship, rather than taken all at once.
His aim is not to identify one model that can simply be replicated in the UK, but to identify the principles that underpin successful and scalable farm businesses and consider how these could be adapted to create opportunities for existing farmers and the next generation.
Becoming a Nuffield Scholar has been a lifetime ambition for William, who first dreamed of completing the scholarship while studying at Llysfasi College and Aberystwyth University. William has also been an active member of Wales YFC, competing at county and national level in stock judging, public speaking and fencing. He recently completed the Man v Horse race to raise funds for Hope House Children’s Hospices, whose respite care has supported his family.
On being awarded the scholarship, William said:
“I’m delighted to have been awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship and very grateful to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and the Era Francis Davies bursary for their support. I’d also like to thank the Bennett Evans family for the opportunity to develop my farming career at Sweet Lamb Estate, and for supporting me in undertaking the scholarship.
“I’m particularly excited by the opportunity to explore how successful agricultural businesses operate, grow and evolve across different parts of the world, and to consider how those lessons might help create new opportunities for the next generation of farmers.”
The Nuffield Scholarship is an eighteen-month programme, culminating in a report designed to share new ideas and knowledge with the British food and farming industry. The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s support reflects its commitment to education and research within Wales’ agriculture and land-based sectors.
William will be presented with a certificate during the official opening ceremony of the Royal Welsh Winter Fair on Monday 30th November 2026.
For more information about the Winter Fair or to buy tickets, visit the RWAS website.
