My name is Jessica Curran, and I am studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at James Cook University. I grew up in Central Western Queensland on a cattle and sheep station north-west of Longreach. Since I can remember I have been involved with every aspect of the family business, which certainly sparked my interest in livestock. I was fortunate enough during high school to attend boarding school and during our holidays my cousin Ella and I would make sure we never missed a muster, carting horses between our families’ properties.
After graduating school, I took a gap year to work on Iffley – a large cattle station north of Julia Creek in the gulf of Carpentaria. I spent the year riding horses, attempting to ride motorbikes and mustering and processing cattle. Since beginning my course I have been fortunate to experience many other faucets of agriculture including feedlotting, cropping, the performance horse industry and wool production.
I am extremely passionate about improving production systems to increase profitability and continue developing a sustainable future for primary producers. I am thrilled to be sponsored by AWI and the opportunities it will present. I am excited to enhance my knowledge of innovative practices within the sheep and wool industry and to learn from industry leaders about emerging opportunities and challenges. I am very grateful to be chosen for such an amazing program, which will provide networking and placement opportunities and will be pivotal in shaping my future as a livestock veterinarian.