William Davies named 2027 Royal Welsh Nuffield Scholar

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) has announced Mid Wales livestock farmer William Davies as the 2027 Royal Welsh Nuffield Scholar. Davies, an agriculture graduate from Aberystwyth University, currently manages the livestock enterprise at Sweet Lamb Estate near Llangurig, Powys, through a self-employed contract farming business.

His scholarship research, titled ‘Exploring Globally Scalable Farm Business Models’, will investigate how agricultural businesses achieve growth through various ownership and management structures. He aims to examine the roles of capital access, management, and business models—including family-owned, corporate, contract, and investor-backed systems—to understand why some farms scale while others reach a ceiling.

As part of the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust program, Davies plans to undertake several international trips over approximately eight weeks. His itinerary includes visits to the United States, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, and Kenya to consult with farmers, managers, and advisers.