Prince William to Study Agriculture at Cambridge University

Dec 30, 2013

The Duke of Cambridge, also known as His Royal Highness Prince William, has announced his plans to study agriculture during a 10 week course on agricultural management offered through Cambridge University in England. The course will cover the major issues surrounding the farming industry and rural communities within Great Britain, and will help prepare the Prince for his future leadership of the Duchy of Cornwall, a large portfolio of property, land and investments that he will inherit when his father, Prince Charles, ascends the throne as King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

According to a Kensington Palace spokesman, "The executive education programme of seminars, lectures and meetings will draw on the strengths of academics across the university. It will start in early January and run until mid-March.

"The course has been designed to help provide the duke with an understanding of contemporary issues affecting agricultural business and rural communities in the United Kingdom."

Over the course of his agricultural management studies, the Duke of Cambridge will take up residence in Cambridge, while continuing with his other official royal duties.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.