Narromine's Billy Browning and Trangie's Richard Quigley have been awarded Nuffield Scholarships

Narromine's Billy Browning and Trangie's Richard Quigley have been awarded Nuffield Scholarships.

Along with six other famers from Australia, Zimbabwe and Ireland they'll explore overseas businesses such as the sustainable family farming operation Perry Farms in Canada and the world's biggest fresh produce market Rungis International in France.

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"I am keen to drive the return on the irrigation business. I see a real opportunity to investigate irrigation designs, irrigated commodities, and multiple water uses from a single a water source," Mr Browning said.

Mr Browning, who is supported by the Australian Department of Agriculture and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, said he was particularly keen to investigate alternative irrigation options that would enable farmers to best utilise water and renewable solutions such as solar pumps and battery storage for bore and river water.

Sustainable water is also important for Mr Quigley.

Through his scholarship supported by Cotton Research and Development Corporation and Cotton Australia, he will explore cropping systems and techniques which preserve moisture in zero-tillage farming systems.

"I am very excited to travel across the world and look at agriculture globally, explore other businesses and see what we can adapt to our climate and systems back home in Australia," Mr Quigley said.

"I am also excited to do some domestic travel as I believe we have some fantastic operations on home soil. With drought scenarios in the United States similar to what eastern Australia faced in 2017 to 2019, it will be interesting to draw on their experiences on what impact ground cover and crop residues play."

Applications are now open for Nuffield Scholarships in 2023 and Nuffield Australia will award up to 20 scholarships.

Among those on offer is a cotton industry scholarship supported by Cotton Australia and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation.

Each scholarship is valued at $30,000 and enables scholars to spend 14 weeks of travel over two years to study a topic important to their industry.

Nuffield Australia chief executive officer and 2013 Nuffield Scholar Jodie Redcliffe said the organisation has been busy organising a plethora of mind-expanding research trips for Australian farmers.

"International travel is back, and Nuffield Australia is seizing the opportunity to send farmers abroad to bring innovative ideas home," she said.

"Through our program, scholars get the opportunity to tackle key challenges in their industry and hone their skills. That's why we see Nuffield alumni in leadership positions throughout agriculture and associated industries."

Applications close on Friday, June 17, with the recipients to be announced in September.

Find out more and apply at nuffield.com.au/how-to-apply.