Four agricultural degree students at Writtle University College have won a virtual crop growing challenge.
The team was up against seven other universities and colleges from across England in the Cereals Challenge.
Oliver Martin, Harry Coppin, George Padfield, and Henry Hawkins were given the prestigious agricultural prize at the Cereals Event on Wednesday 14 June as part of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists Cereals Awards ceremony.
The competition - organised by crop production specialists, Hutchinsons, and farm business management company, Velcourt - aims to encourage a new generation of agronomists and farmers into the industry.
For the first time in the competition’s eight-year history, teams did not have a real plot to manage but competed to grow the best virtual plot of spring barley.
Each team was asked to present fertiliser and herbicide management plans, a PGR and pest management plan as well as a disease management plan and was asked to evaluate their appropriateness and timeliness for each recommendation, input cost management, estimated crop yield and quality.