Philippa Evans

I’m studying the BSc (Hons) Agricultural Management top-up degree at the Royal Agricultural University, having spent the previous two years completing the FdSc in Agriculture at Hartpury College.

My grandfather studied at the Royal Agricultural College in the 1950s, and went on to work as a livestock vet North Rhodesia (Zambia) before becoming a Public Relations Office for Unilever. In his spare time, he wrote articles for The Field and Farmers Weekly. We have never had a family farm. The passion for farming seems to have skipped a generation and landed with me.

My agricultural passion firmly lies within the sciences behind livestock production. My modules this year have been Integrated Farm Project, Emerging Agricultural Issues, Farmland Ecology, Countryside Management, Advanced Livestock Production, Critical Issues in Organisation and the Research Project (dissertation).

I’m studying agriculture because I have a passion for it. My dissertation research has been an incredible experience. I'm very proud of it. 

My dissertation research has been an incredible experience. I’m researching the quality of sheep colostrum and milk, seeing if there is a relationship between the substances. During my research, I have adapted a method for testing the quantity of milk fat. This new method is called the EvaHaw (Mojonnier) Method, named after myself and the lab technician Darren Hawkins. We’re very proud of it, it’s taken a lot of patience.

I’m studying agriculture because I have a passion for it and, encouraged by farming family friends in East Sussex, thought why not. There will always be a need for agriculture because the world needs food. As the population rises, this need is ever more important to achieve sustainably, with scientific and technological innovation to make it possible.