Two Plumpton College Students Win the NFU Mutual's ‘Enhancing Vineyard Sustainability Award 2023’

From left to right: James Clapham, Programme Manager, MSc Viticulture & Oenology, Tyler Kenyon, Ralph Matzer, David Harrison (Viticulture Specialist at NFU Mutual).

NFU Mutual has revealed the recipients of its inaugural £5,000 bursary focused on sustainability for students in the wine industry.

This unique award and corresponding bursary, known as the Enhancing Vineyard Sustainability Award, was launched this year for Plumpton College MSc Viticulture & Oenology students in recognition of the NFU Mutual's commitment to supporting the growth of the UK Wine Industry.

The students were tasked with demonstrating how their projects contribute to vineyard sustainability in the UK, with the expectation of presenting their findings at the Plumpton College Industry Research Symposium in 2024.

Congratulations to our award winners!

Two of our final-year MSc students, Tyler Kenyon and Ralph Matzner, will share the £5,000 prize, having both presented compelling proposals outlining their plans to incorporate sustainability into their academic pursuits.

Tyler Kenyon, Hove, expressed his gratitude for the £4,000 share, emphasizing the substantial impact it will have on his research. His focus is on finding solutions to eradicate the fungal pathogen causing powdery mildew in UK vineyards. Tyler's innovative approach involves experimenting with UVC light at night to eliminate the pathogen without resorting to harmful and costly pesticides.

Meanwhile, Ralph Matzner, a fellow student from Brighton, received £1,000 for his research on utilising bio-fumigation as an alternative to chemical pesticides. Ralph plans to allocate the bursary towards attending industry conferences, purchasing books, and acquiring published research.

Sam Linter, Director of Wine at Plumpton College, congratulated the worthy winners, particularly commenting on their commitment to research that focuses on improving sustainability in the winegrowing industry. Hear what she has to say, alongside our winning students and programme manager, James Clapham, in this NFU video here.

Thank you to NFU Mutual for creating such a fantstic opportunity for our students - we are very much looking forward to the amazing things that this partnership will go on to achieve in the future.

Image from left to right: James Clapham, Programme Manager, MSc Viticulture & Oenology, Tyler Kenyon, Ralph Matzer, David Harrison (Viticulture Specialist at NFU Mutual).