Mhairi Dalgliesh (20), a third year BSc Agriculture student from Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway, is currently enjoying her 10 week placement with the Ayr office of SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College.

She is spending the summer helping in busy centre, shadowing experienced consultants and deciding if a job on the SAC Consulting Team is what she wants to do when she finishes her honours degree course in 2017.

Mhairi, who is studying at SRUC’s Ayr Campus, is one of three SRUC students gaining summer work experience in an SAC Consulting offices this summer.

“It’s great fun and I am learning new things at the same time," said Mhairi. "I have been involved in a range of tasks including completing nutrient plans and grant applications as well as visiting farms to take soil and silage samples for analysis. I have also completed a Labour Requirement Report to support a planning application for a new house.

“It has been useful in letting me see the variety of work carried out by consultants, as well as being very useful to put into practice the information taught on the degree course."

SAC Consulting's assistant regional manager in south Scotland, Andrew Leggate, is an enthusiastic supporter of the scheme: “This year we had 11 students competing for the three places funded with bursaries from the SRUC Trust which also helps support the students in their final year.

“We have a number of full time staff in our 23 Scottish offices who started this way. It is a chance for students to learn what being a consultant involves and for us see their potential.

“The students are very helpful during their placements and carry out a range of tasks ranging from soil and silage sampling to form filling and other administrative tasks. All our consultants enjoy the students’ youthful enthusiasm.”

Mhairi, who comes from an upland beef and sheep farm in Dumfries and Galloway, is now intrigued by the possibility of working as a consultant after graduating: “When I finish my degree I am looking for a career that offers variety and agricultural consultancy certainly fits that bill.”