Joe Lyall

2025 Next-gen Dairy Scholar: At home, my responsibilities are split between practical and administrative work. I milk most mornings and every evening and help manage calves and the other stock. I have always found working with stock more rewarding than tractor work - four legs over four wheels! On the admin side, I manage any grant applications, ensure the farm is compliant with regulation and represent the farm at Arla events or with our local Rivers Trust. At the Rivers Trust, I support the delivery of Landscape Recovery and other farmer-facing projects, using my experience to ensure schemes work for farmers and the environment.

Over the next year, I will complete my placement at the Rivers Trust, and then continue my studies and graduate from university in July 2026. After university, I’d like to stay in Cumbria and will look to work in a ‘farming-adjacent’ role, such as with a local Rivers Trust or similar eNGO or with a business that supports farmers to thrive. I may also look to take on more responsibility on my family’s farm. In the future, I think a Nuffield Scholarship looking at how the Holstein breed can fit into a sustainable dairy future would be a great experience.

Living so close to the Lake District has let me get into fell-walking, getting out when I can into the Eastern and Far Eastern Fells around Ullswater and Haweswater. I try to read as much as I can, mainly on farming and the environment but also on politics and history. I also enjoy going to my local cinema with my friends and watching a wide range of local and international films.