• Charles Sturt student won public vote to present at Asia Pacific’s largest agrifood tech event
• Miss Angela Hughes is the youngest presenter at the evokeAG. 2020 event and will share her insights into how hospitality and agricultural industries can better work together
• The agricultural business management student balances study with work on her family’s cattle property

A Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) student is the youngest and only publicly elected member of AgriFutures Australia’s ‘Future Young Leaders’ program chosen to present at the evokeAG. 2020 event.

Miss Angela Hughes, who is 19 years old and in her first year studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management online, won the online public vote to present at the largest agrifood tech event in the Asia Pacific.

The public vote is part of the AgriFutures Australia’s Future Young Leaders Program, where eight emerging leaders in the agriculture industry are chosen through an application process to present at evokeAG. 2020.

The Mittagong-based local, who works on her family’s beef cattle property, has been a part of Australia’s agriculture industry her entire life and said she jumped at the opportunity to apply for the program and present her views on agriculture at the event.

“I am a massive opportunist when it comes to agriculture and I think the event is an amazing platform for young people such as myself to express their passion and ideas for agriculture,” she said.

“This event is an incredible opportunity for me as a first-year student because it isn’t just my peers and younger members of the public attending the event, it’s an international audience, which includes investors, government representatives and representatives from a range of industries and businesses.”

Miss Hughes said she plans to discuss how the hospitality and agricultural industries can better work together to drive profitability and productivity for both parties.

“I want the audience to realise just how important the agricultural industry is and the vastness of career paths in the industry that are available to people,” she said.

“Hopefully through my presentation, people can have a renewed perception of the industry and a better understanding about what the industry really does and the future direction it should go.”

Miss Hughes said it is her passion for the industry that pushed her to pursue studies and a career in agriculture and apply to present at the forum.

“I always knew I wanted to work in agriculture and I really had my heart set on doing my studies at Charles Sturt University,” she said.

“The degree I am studying combined my love for agriculture with my passion for business management, so really you can’t beat it.

“Although it is tough to work on the family property, work two other part-time jobs, and study online, the lecturers and subject coordinators really understand the difficulties people working on properties face and accommodate us to be able to make sure that we understand the course content.”

As part of the application process for the ‘Future Young Leaders Program’, Miss Hughes had to submit a written application and a video explaining why the event was important and what areas of agriculture she is most passionate about.

“To have my application chosen as the people’s choice winner really surprised me as there were so many candidates that had a lot to offer,” she said.

“The responses from the public to my video application we’re touching really.

“People that I didn’t even know commented on how they enjoyed seeing the passion and enthusiasm that I have about the youth in agriculture, which meant a lot to me.”

Miss Hughes says after completing her Bachelor’s degree, she hopes to continue working on her family’s farm and has plans for further studies.

“I want to continue breeding Poll Herefords of my family’s farm,” she said.

“I also want to complete a high school teaching degree, so I can educate the future young leaders of the agricultural industry as they face challenging but exciting times.”

The evokeAG. 2020 event will take place in Melbourne at the Royal Exhibition Building from Tuesday 18 to Wednesday 19 February 2020.