Four secondary school students have been awarded bursaries to study in the crops and agronomy sector.

The Irish Seed Trade Association launched the bursary programme in early 2025 for students to promote crops and agronomy as a career.

The four winning students were Cormac Flynn, Grace Hennessy, Harry Bye and Katie Nolan.

Tim O'Donovan, the president of the Irish Seed Trade Association, said that the tillage sector "needs capable interested students to pursue careers in crops to support the future viability of the sector".

"Members of the Irish seed trade are conscious of the need to plant the seed early in students' minds that a career in crops can be very rewarding," O'Donovan added.

"The sector offers opportunities in seed testing, agronomy, sales, and research, among other roles," he said.

The Irish Seed Trade Association is partnering with the Irish Agricultural Science Teacher's Association (IASTA) on the bursary award, which is based on the student's agricultural science project for their Leaving Certificate.

There are four national winner annually of the bursary, who will receive €500 each.

Of these winners, those who go on to choose a crops specific course at third level will receive a further €1,000 in each year of the course.

Students who study agriculture in college will receive a further €500 in first year in college and students who choose crops electives or thesis projects in the subsequent three years will receive a further €500 per year.

Two of the bursary winners, Katie Nolan from Co. Wexford and Harry Bye from Co. Meath, were recognised at the recent University College Dublin (UCD) School of Agriculture Awards Night.

Katie Nolan has gone on to study Crop Science, and Harry Bye is studying Agricultural Science.

Great Agri-Food Debate

Meanwhile, UCD will also be involved in the final of the Dawn Meats Great Agri-Food Debate, which takes place next year.

Four Irish universities have been selected to advance to the final, from seven colleges and universities across the island of Ireland that competed in this year's heats for a place in the final.

These teams were University College Cork (UCC); UCD; Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT); College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprises (CAFRE); Munster Technological University (MTU); Atlantic Technological University (ATU); and South East Technological University (SETU).

Before the heat debates it was determined by draw that ATU would receive a bye to the final.

ATU will be joined UCD, SETU and CAFRE, who won their debates against UCC, DkIT and MTU respectively.