My name is Lilly Rehbein and I’m studying a Bachelor of Agribusiness/Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Queensland.
My interest in agriculture began when a was a young girl following my Dad around on our family farm in Bundaberg, Queensland. We produced a wide array of fruits and vegetables including sweet corn, potatoes, watermelons, and ginger. I spent all my time in the tractor and in the field checking for insects. I have always had a strong attachment to the farm and the everchanging landscape that comes with it. In the last few years, my family has moved away from open field farming into hydroponics where we can control the amount of water and fertiliser being fed to the plants. This environment gives us a continual yield that is not impacted by weather.
My passion is in the horticultural industry. I am intrigued by the development of drone programs and variable rate technology. After university, I am hoping to enter into a career working with technology to help farmers increase yield rates and production efficiency.
I am incredibly grateful for this experience and am eager to meet like-minded people and learn about the emerging trends and issues in Australia’s ever-growing ag sector. I am excited to work with Hort Innovation to develop myself as a leader in the Australian horticultural industry.
Agriculture is an evolving industry that continues to become more and more interesting. There is always new technology and programs being created that are adapting to the way we are growing crops and utilising the land.