National Agriculture Day: celebrating opportunity (Northern)
16 November 2021
Friday 19 November marks National Agriculture Day, a day to celebrate the abundance of opportunities the Australian agricultural industry provides.
This year, the theme of the day is ‘choose your #AgVenture’, where industry is encouraged to showcase the unique and exciting range of career opportunities on offer in the agricultural industry.
To display some of the incredible career pathways agriculture provides, we asked some of the station staff from Stanbroke Pastoral Company about their experience in the industry and how agriculture fulfils their passions. Take a look at what they had to say.
What tools and resources have helped you build your skills?
Practical experience. I’ve had five years’ experience up here in northern Queensland listening to older people in the industry and getting knowledge off lots of other people.
Why did you choose to enter the agricultural industry?
I’ve always enjoyed it. I grew up in the agricultural industry in Chinchilla, then I went away to school in Toowoomba and decided I didn’t want to live in a town like that – it wasn’t really for me.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
If you get knocked down, get straight back up again.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
Ideally, I’d like to be out mustering, doing my own thing. I would enjoy running my own operation one day, but that’s more than a few years away. I want to do things for myself and get my foot in the door of a livestock production operation.
What do young people need to stay in the industry?
Experience – to get out there and give it a go.
Knowledge – having all the information they need, or having access to it.
What’s your favourite red meat dish?
Reef and beef, medium rare – best of both worlds.
What tools and resources have helped you build your skills?
I’ve got a university degree in agricultural business, and the mentorship from people I’ve worked with for the past two and a half years.
Why did you choose to enter the agricultural industry?
I’ve always been interested in the agricultural industry. I grew up in Brisbane so I wasn’t exposed to it a lot, except through uncles and cousins who have a little bit of land.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Capitalise on any opportunity, no matter how big or small, because sometimes the unbeaten path is the better path.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
I can see myself involved in the agricultural industry.
What do young people need to stay in the industry?
Career pathways and a lot of interest.
What makes you good at what you do?
I like to think I give everything a go and I’m passionate about everything I do.
What’s your favourite red meat dish?
Medium rare eye fillet, manager’s cut, with a little bit of garlic butter on top with roasted potatoes and crème brulee for dessert.
What tools and resources have helped you build your skills?
Probably a lot of networking – people have helped me a lot. Schools and clinics, BeefUp Forums, Grazing For Profit and a lot of courses like that.
Why did you choose to enter the agricultural industry?
My dad managed places in South Australia so I grew up in this industry. It’s the one thing I always thought I would do.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
When frustration hits and when you start to get angry, that’s generally when your knowledge has run out. So you have to take a step back, re-group, and find some extra knowledge, and that’s when the frustration goes away.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
Hopefully on a similar track to what I’m on now. I’d like to be managing a place one day.
What do young people need to stay in the industry?
They need to see a long-term goal and future within the industry. Especially a lot of people who don’t grow up in a family scenario but come to bigger companies, a lot of the time they miss out on forums and things like this – but this is the sort of stuff they need to be going to, to keep developing. It was talked about a lot at the Cloncurry BeefUp forum, about developing people’s skills because they might stay with that particular company for one or two years, but it’s going to benefit the next person down the line.
What makes you good at what you do?
I just really love what I do, and it’s something I’ve always dreamed to do. I’m a pretty hard worker. It doesn’t just fall in your lap. You’ve got to do your time in the camp, you’ve got to do your years and then just throw yourself into situations. It’s no different to moving up from a leading hand to the head stockman, or into a manager position – there’s a lot of skills you’re not going to get until you’re into that position and so long as you have a network and a group of people who are happy and willing to support you when you first step into that role, anything’s achievable if you’re happy to work hard and take on advice.
What’s your favourite red meat dish?
Medium rare scotch fillet with mushroom gravy and chips and salad.
What tools and resources have helped you build your skills?
It’s my managers and co-workers and the people around me.
Why did you choose to enter the agricultural industry?
I’ve lived on properties all my life, so I grew up with it. My parents managed properties across central and northern Queensland.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Give everything a go.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
I want to still be in the agricultural industry but might be giving something else a go. Still definitely in this industry though.
What do young people need to stay in the industry?
I think you need to be open-minded to give everything a go.
How did you get to where you are?
I think it’s my love for the industry. The people around me have also really pushed me to where I am today.
What’s your favourite red meat dish?
Crumbed steak with gravy, barbecue sauce, chips and salad.
