Coming from a dairy-farm in North-East Victoria to now living on a mixed-enterprise dryland property in the Eastern Riverina I’ve been lucky enough have always been around agriculture.
Combining this with my passion for applied science, I hope to begin a career as an agronomist once I finish university. I hope that this career path will allow me to contribute to a sustainable and prosperous future for the Riverina region in what may become a more challenging environment.
Many of my interests therefore involve all things that look to improve the sustainability of Australian agroecosystems and I eventually want to be at the forefront of the on-farm implementation of emerging techniques that look to promote such robust systems. Adding to this I am of the firm belief that climate change should be seen as an opportunity for Australian agriculture to excel as a global competitor rather than being viewed as a threat.
Being awarded a Horizon Scholarship is a huge honour and I’m excited to get involved in the various work experience opportunities and to make new connections with both industry and my peers. I am particularly excited about being sponsored by AgriFutures Australia and to be guided by their Rice Program. The opportunity to be able to get involved in one of the more innovative and intensive sectors of Australian broad-acre agriculture I’m sure will be both eye-opening and educational.