Castlejordan man wins land management award from Waterford IT

Stephen Gill from Castlejordan, Tullamore, was runner-up for the 2021 Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) BSc (Hons) Land Management (Agriculture) Award, sponsored by Allied Irish Banks plc (AIB), at the virtual Waterford IT Department of Science Industry Awards recently.

Currently in the final year of his Land Management programme at WIT, Stephen was among the highest-graded students for his research which focused on the components of yield in winter rye and winter wheat crops.

The number of tillers per plant was identified as the most significant in terms of boosting yield and quality, with seed variety; rolling at sowing; and crop nutrition (particularly at growth stage) key variables in encouraging tillering.

Bryan Doocey, AIB Agri Advisor said the bank was delighted to partner with Waterford IT for these awards.

"We have been very impressed by the quality, standard and wide-ranging nature of research completed by the students here in WIT, and wish them all the very best in their future careers," he said.

Speaking on behalf of Waterford IT, Agriculture lecturer Dr Tony Woodcock said: "I am delighted with and very appreciative of AIB's continued support of WIT's Agriculture courses. Having such a prestigious prize on offer for the students in their final year is a fantastic goal for them to aim for, and it's something that will look great on the winner's CV.

"I'm also very proud of the calibre of students that presented, and it's fantastic that they get the opportunity to present the outcomes of their final year projects to external industry representatives like AIB, to give them an idea of the level of excellence being achieved in WIT."