Timaru-Bred Bull Takes Out 2026 Mahoe Trophy
An LIC bull, Tronnoco AR Sadio-ET S3F, bred by Tony and Keri O'Connor of Tronnoco Farming Co Ltd near Timaru, has won the 2026 Mahoe Trophy.
Chad Harland, a former Taradale High student, holds a Master of Science from Canterbury University and is currently an information analyst in the farmer coop's Research & Development Group.
Harland, 28, will now choose a university to attend from August and commence his PhD in the area of genomics or bioinformatics, funded by LIC.
As part of the scholarship, a full time science position will also be made available at LIC when Chad returns to New Zealand.
Without the scholarship, Harland's plans to undertake his PhD were on-hold.
"The scholarship is great, and my PhD wouldn't have been as soon without LIC's support.
"It covers the costs of doing the PhD but also offers a relevant job once you finish it. This is a massive advantage because a PhD isn't much use if you can't get a job that allows you to make use of the skills you developed."
Harland says it's great to be able to use his knowledge and skills to help benefit and impact on the dairy industry with LIC.
"You have room to innovate and develop your career in areas that are of interest to you, and it's a company that's going places and having a real measurable impact."
General manager of Research and Development, Dr Richard Spelman says LIC has a reputation for attracting some of the best scientific minds in the world, and its scholarship programmes ensure this will continue.
"The programmes support our next generation of scientists, allowing them to complete a higher degree of study with funding, mentoring and job opportunities upon completion."
Since starting in 2002, LIC's Patrick Shannon Scholarship and Doctoral Studentship programmes have provided students with funding, support and mentoring from the leaders in the field, to assist them to complete a higher level of study.
The unique programmes encourage those studying genetics, mathematics, statistics, machine learning and/or bioinformatics to complete the study they may otherwise not be able to do, with support from LIC and possibility of employment in their research team.
