A Nuffield Farming Scholar has received an OBE in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee honours list for her contribution to agriculture.
Dr Jenna Ross, who is also a voluntary director of the Oxford Farming Conference, has dedicated her career to finding innovative solutions in agriculture.
Growing up in Tarland, Aberdeenshire, on her family farm, she has a PhD in Environmental Science, focused on developing biological control agents for molluscs.
Active both in the farming and scientific community, in 2017, Dr Ross was awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship.
She spent 26 weeks travelling the world gathering data about slugs, and studying their economic risk, exploring monitoring systems, and investigating control options.
The findings of her study, sponsored by AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds and RHASS, were published in her report, “Riding the Slime Wave: Gathering Global Data on Slug Control”.
Since finishing her studies, she remains active in the Trust, serving as past Secretary for Nuffield Scotland and is now the current Chair of the Scotland Regional group, where she works to recruit new scholars.
Dr Ross is also passionate about inspiring the next generation through her roles as a STEM Ambassador and Lantra Scotland Industry Champion.
Commenting on the accolade, she said: “I am hugely shocked and massively honoured to receive an OBE. Through my own career I have been fortunate enough to experience so many wonderful opportunities within agriculture and science, helping broaden my knowledge and network.
"I am very much looking forward to using my OBE to help positively champion our amazing industry and all it has to offer now, and in the future.”
She added: "It’s a privileged to get up every morning and do something that I truly love. Coming from generations of farmers on both sides of my family means that agriculture well and truly flows through my blood."
Aside from her current outreach activities within agriculture, Dr Ross is also proactive in her role on leading international development for UK agri-tech innovation centre, Crop Health and Protection (CHAP).
Here her work includes overseeing innovation projects such as SlugBot – an autonomous slug monitoring and bio-molluscicide treatment system.
Other highlights include driving two projects to improve agronomy and crop production in India and managing a UK-Kenya collaboration to help growers overcome potato cyst nematode.
