Agriculture dinner honours student achievement

Massey Agriculture staff and students joined with a host of industry representatives to celebrate the year’s student achievements at a dinner in Palmerston North on Friday.

The annual dinner is a tradition for final-year agriculture students, with awards presented to top-achievers.

The Massey Agriculture student of the year award was given to Cameron Shaw. College of Sciences Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Anderson said that Mr Shaw had been involved in many activities that made him a worthy recipient of the award.

“He has helped first-year students with weekly study sessions. His work over the past few summers with the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre has resulted in him being listed as co-author on two research papers.

“He has helped to encourage students to come to Massey to study agriculture and he won the Taranaki district final of the Young Farmer of the Year competition. As president of the Massey University Young Farmers’ Club he has helped organise numerous social and fundraising activities and worked behind the scenes to make the Massey club the largest in New Zealand.”

Guest speaker for the event was Abby Hull from DairyNZ, who spoke about her experience as an agriculture student at Massey and her current role as a farm consultant.

Other awards presented on the night were:
Young Farmers Club cutting edge award: Calvin Ball
Young Farmers Club Sally Hobson award: Samantha Edgar
Agriculture, horticulture and equine Practicum I award: Yuji Sakai
Agriculture, horticulture and equine Practicum II award: Trevor Sulzberger
Collis Blake prize in animal science: Rachel Shanks
Massey Equine student of the year prize: Hillary Simmons
Massey University award for excellence in horticulture: Michael French
NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science leading student: Jay Howes
NZ Institute of Primary Industry management award: Bridgette Lawn
William Gerrish Memorial award: Nathan Wright
Massey Agriculture student of the year prize: Cameron Shaw