The importance of careers in agriculture, as highlighted by Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Quentin Bryce, AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, in her Australia Day address, has been echoed by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic and a graduate.

 

In her televised address, Ms Bryce reminded the nation that, “the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the wine we drink, our shoes, our office stationery, the timber in our houses and in our kitchen tables, are all connected to farming”, indicating Australian Year of the Farmer 2012 is a year to celebrate the vital role farmers play in our lives.

 

“We need more farmers. Year of the Farmer 2012 will reach out to people in our cities to encourage them to move to the bush. There’s a strong message for our young people - especially those contemplating life after high school at this time of the year - think about a career in agriculture.”

 

Head of CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Professor John Mawson endorses the Governor General’s call for more young Australians to consider careers in agriculture-related fields.

 

“As the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture have been emphasising for some time, demand for graduates far outstrips supply,” Professor Mawson said. “Interesting and rewarding careers in a range of areas are just waiting for graduates, and opportunities will only increase with the expected global demand for food and fibre products in the coming years.

 

 “We’re heartened by strong growth in student numbers entering our Bachelor of Agricultural Science this year, but we know more must be done to meet industry demand. We need many more agricultural science graduates to drive innovation and sustainability, and agribusiness graduates to service the supply chain, financial and marketing sectors.”

 

CSU graduate Ms Hollie Baillieu said she was proud of the Governor-General for putting agriculture at the forefront of discussion.

 

“Agriculture has such a negative image at times, and I think the positive and forward-thinking comments made by the Governor-General were excellent.”

 

Ms Baillieu was awarded CSU’s Agricultural Science Medal for 2011. She is now staff liaison manager for the Australian Year of the Farmer Roadshow, of which the Governor-General is patron. Ms Baillieu is also Ambassador at Agrifood Skills Australia, and chairperson of the NSW Young Farmers’ Council of the NSW Farmers' Association.

 

“I was brought up in a rural area and my family has a background in agriculture, so I could see the incredible opportunities in the agri/food/fibre industries,” she said.

 

“Metropolitan students make up about 10 per cent of agriculture students and they’ve usually had a good experience studying agriculture in high school and understand that agriculture is not just farming; it’s also about information technology, management,  marketing, and economics. They know that careers in agriculture are globally adaptable.