An opportunity like no other! The National Agriculture Tour saw the Year 12 Aggies visit and learn from some of Australia’s leading agricultural research hubs and access some of the more remote regional properties across Queensland and New South Wales.
Day 1 saw the students head off bright and early to Toowoomba to visit the Agtech and Logistics Hub, Australia’s home of digital agriculture and premier agribusiness innovation space, where their minds were open to the incredibly diverse opportunities in ag tech, from AI in cattle yards to development of biological controls. It was then over to the University of Southern Queensland where they were hosted by Dr Jazmine Skinner, and shown various leading animal science and tech career opportunities.
Day 2 was a frosty start at Stanthorpe where the students visited the Queensland College of Wine Tourism and learnt the entire process from vine to wine, and were astounded by the agronomy and chemistry involved in winemaking. A quick physical challenge had the students take on the Pyramid hike at Girraween, before heading on their way to the Glen Innes Research Station. Here they got to see the beginning of a sheep trial that is investigating how pasture mixes affect sheep growth and wool production.
Day 3 we woke at Gullbraith, a 5000-acre property in North West NSW, nearly 600 km away from where we started. This was a full-on hands-on day of large-scale farming which included shearing, a cropping tour and finished with horse riding along the Gwydir River.
Day 4 and a 4am start had us heading to Goondiwindi and learning about the cotton industry and the Murray Darling River systems importance to agriculture. Then across to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Hermitage plant research centre to learn about plant breeding and have a go at extracting DNA from plant material in the Molecular Breeding laboratory.
Our final day opened the doors to RDO Equipment, which is Australia’s largest John Deere construction, forestry, agricultural, turf and Vermeer dealership and an international agribusiness, before heading back to the Agtech and Logistics Hub to meet some innovative international ag tech company owners. Incredibly proud moments when told that these students could be mistaken for PhD students with their level of questioning and interest, and then offered job opportunities on the spot!
None of this incredible trip would have been possible without the generosity of those who hosted us along the way, giving up their time, opening their places up to our students and sharing their invaluable knowledge. Such an incredible opportunity and one I know the students learnt so much from and are incredibly grateful for.
Jade King, Head of Agricultural Science