It’s time to apply for our annual Plate to Pasture Youth Scholarships; the financial boost to your studies that could help propel you on a path to a bright future in the global food sector.

At Silver Fern Farms we’re all about Creating Goodness from the Farms the World Needs. Creating goodness is about taking a broader view of what goodness means, how we can create it and the impact it can have. That Goodness is created through the work of our People, the skill & expertise of our Farmers and our customers around the globe. ‘Goodness’ is also about being good to people and communities, animal welfare, and showing care and respect for the environment.

We’re here to meet the future of our industry head on, but we’ll need inspired thinkers with the drive to make real change to get us there. We’re after motivated students looking ahead towards the challenges facing our sector and already thinking up ideas for how to tackle them.

The future change-makers. Innovators. Future leaders and future legends. Sound like you?

Who you are

For 18–25 year olds actively studying, this could be your game-changer. With a proud history of backing innovative thinkers, the Plate to Pasture Youth Scholarship is to support your relevant studies of anything with an interest in; food science and technology, agribusiness, marketing and sales, finance and commerce, innovation, research and development, people and culture, food processing, sustainability, technology, global logistics, engineering.

You’ll be excelling academically and have top notch interpersonal skills, but like the very best of what we produce, the key ingredient here is passion. If you’re inspired by the challenges of a changing world and driven to play a role in meeting them head on, we’d love to hear from you.

Who you could be

The future of the global food industry is a wide-open space. Full of questions unanswered and new terrain to be explored. The knowledge you build now could set you up to make real global impact. Maybe you’ll be an inspired marketer or an expert food scientist? Perhaps you’ll help shape the future of sustainable farming? The horizons are broad, and with three $5,000 scholarships up for grabs, this could be your opportunity to build a bright future.

As a recipient of the Plate to Pasture Youth Scholarship you’ll also be invited to attend our 2025 Silver Fern Farms Plate to Pasture Farmer’s Conference, an all-expenses paid experience where you’ll get to connect with the best of the local industry and learn about the inspiring and innovative work already underway.

How?

Apply with your CV and a one-page cover letter that lets us know who you are and why you’re passionate about taking your place in the bright future of food. We want to hear your creative and innovative ideas on the challenges our industry will face over the coming years, and how your studies are setting you up to contribute to turning these into exciting opportunities for forward-thinking businesses like ours.

To be eligible to apply for our Plate to Pasture Youth Scholarships, you must be aged 18-25, currently studying towards a New Zealand qualification, and available to attend the Silver Fern Farms Plate to Pasture Farmer’s Conference on 15 – 17 July 2025.

Applications close 25 May 2025.