Top 9 reasons to work in Agriculture
Career pathways in agriculture
Stepping Stones to a Great Career
Careers in the NSW Department of Primary Industries
Using LEGO® to showcase careers in Agriculture
Careers in Agriculture are more that you think
CareerTrackers
A national non-profit with the goal of creating pathways and support systems for Indigenous young adults to attend and graduate from university, with high marks, industry experience and bright professional futures.
49% of all food in Australia is produced by women
Visible Farmer is a unique short-film series that discovers the untold stories of the gutsy women behind Australia’s food and fibre, and the vital, innovative role they play. Women generate half of all farm income and make up 50% of the rural workforce. Yet they are still widely overlooked. At its heart Visible Farmer is about diversity, gender equality and strong, forward-looking stories from Australia's farming community.
Each episode of this 15 part web-series is an inspiring story with passion and substance, as diverse as the industry the women are working in and the challenges they face.
Today’s agribusinesses incorporate all types of exciting career pathways and increasingly attract newcomers and innovators. Engineering, science, IT, commerce and management are all cornerstone skill sets for successful businesses in the growing agriculture sector. As an example, Australia is among the world’s leaders in robotics in the agribusiness sector The new model of agriculture will require a workforce with skills sets that extend well beyond traditional agricultural skills In the research, service and support sectors most of these skills will be delivered by staff without traditional farming background as opportunities and technologies used within agriculture attract new entrants and businesses. Australia will require a pipeline of graduates with capabilities in architecting, designing and analysing data. There will be growth in specialist IT technology and businesses that service these technologies.
This summary of the changing agricultural workforce has been adapted from an article by Richard Heath in The Australian Farm Institute Farm Policy Journal Autumn 2017 Pages 1- 7.
www.cottonaustralia.com.au - careers
www.cottonaustralia.com.au - people in cotton
www.mla.com.au - Careers at MLA
www.learnaboutwool.com - Jobs in the Wool Industry
www.ruralcareers.net.au - Stepping Stones to a Rewarding Career in Wool
www.abc.net.au - Young Women Encouraged to Take up a Career in Wool
www.careersingrain.org.au - Careers in Grains
www.agric.wa.gov.au - International Careers in the Grains Industry
Scott grew up in Sydney with no exposure to agriculture until it was a compulsory subject in Years 7 and 8 of high school. “I may not have chosen agriculture otherwise, but I really enjoyed it and when it was voluntary from Year 9 onwards, I continued and did it for the HSC in Year 12.” With an interest in science and biology Scott chose to study agricultural science at Sydney University and in 2010 joined Barker College where he is now Head Teacher of Agriculture.
Craig, too, was born and bred in the city, in the northern suburbs of Sydney, but he longed for a life on the land. Following his heart, he travelled to Longreach Pastoral College after school to complete a wool classing qualification. “I didn’t have a property to go back to, so I started my agricultural career in the wool store in Sydney, then went jackarooing for three years, and then moved to Dubbo as a wool representative. I bought my farm here 18 years ago.”
Neil may have been born in Sydney but when he was ten years old his parents brought the general store at Dalgety in southern NSW, and not long after a 350-acre property where they ran cows and calves. Neil’s high school holidays were spent working on local farms, which, in part, fired his determination to study veterinary science at university, launching a successful career in agriculture.
Lesley’s career background is in freight forwarding and export logistics and she commenced work with Austral Fisheries 22 years ago as their Export Co-ordinator. Through her decades of working in the deep fishing industry and at-sea prawning with Austral she has held many roles and is GM of Quality Safety and People. She also sits on the Federal Government’s Seafood Export Consultative Committee.
Jim grew up on a prime lamb property near Bathurst, NSW with the intention to return to the farm on the completion of his university education. “Circumstances changed and my parents sold the farm in my final year and so I needed to change direction. I was offered a scholarship to undertake a PhD and eventually was successful in attaining an academic position at Wagga Wagga where I have been ever since.”
Although Tony was raised in suburban Canberra his parents had previously owned a farm near Ballarat, so “I've always loved and had an affinity with agriculture and always thought I'd like to work in agriculture.” This affinity carried him to university in Orange where he studied agriculture and embarked on a diverse career within the sector.
Rob readily admits to having no affiliation or connection with agriculture during his childhood years. In fact, he wanted to be a veterinarian. “I didn’t get the HSC marks to directly enter vet science, so the only other pathway was through agricultural science at Sydney University. Once I entered this stream, I found I really enjoyed it and stayed with a focus on agronomy.”
Scott grew up in Sydney with no exposure to agriculture until it was a compulsory subject in Years 7 and 8 of high school. “I may not have chosen agriculture otherwise, but I really enjoyed it and when it was voluntary from Year 9 onwards, I continued and did it for the HSC in Year 12.” With an interest in science and biology Scott chose to study agricultural science at Sydney University and in 2010 joined Barker College where he is now Head Teacher of Agriculture.
Craig, too, was born and bred in the city, in the northern suburbs of Sydney, but he longed for a life on the land. Following his heart, he travelled to Longreach Pastoral College after school to complete a wool classing qualification. “I didn’t have a property to go back to, so I started my agricultural career in the wool store in Sydney, then went jackarooing for three years, and then moved to Dubbo as a wool representative. I bought my farm here 18 years ago.”
Neil may have been born in Sydney but when he was ten years old his parents brought the general store at Dalgety in southern NSW, and not long after a 350-acre property where they ran cows and calves. Neil’s high school holidays were spent working on local farms, which, in part, fired his determination to study veterinary science at university, launching a successful career in agriculture.
Lesley’s career background is in freight forwarding and export logistics and she commenced work with Austral Fisheries 22 years ago as their Export Co-ordinator. Through her decades of working in the deep fishing industry and at-sea prawning with Austral she has held many roles and is GM of Quality Safety and People. She also sits on the Federal Government’s Seafood Export Consultative Committee.
Jim grew up on a prime lamb property near Bathurst, NSW with the intention to return to the farm on the completion of his university education. “Circumstances changed and my parents sold the farm in my final year and so I needed to change direction. I was offered a scholarship to undertake a PhD and eventually was successful in attaining an academic position at Wagga Wagga where I have been ever since.”
Although Tony was raised in suburban Canberra his parents had previously owned a farm near Ballarat, so “I've always loved and had an affinity with agriculture and always thought I'd like to work in agriculture.” This affinity carried him to university in Orange where he studied agriculture and embarked on a diverse career within the sector.
Rob readily admits to having no affiliation or connection with agriculture during his childhood years. In fact, he wanted to be a veterinarian. “I didn’t get the HSC marks to directly enter vet science, so the only other pathway was through agricultural science at Sydney University. Once I entered this stream, I found I really enjoyed it and stayed with a focus on agronomy.”