AgriFutures has named the 19 scholars that will receive a 2024 Horizon Scholarship, which aims to cultivate the next generation of rural leaders
For the 19 recipients of a major agriculture scholarship program, it’s the opportunity to work with some of the leading minds in the industry that’s going to stand out, going forward.
“Selected from across Australia, each scholar demonstrated exceptional drive, commitment, and passion for the future of Australia’s rural industries and communities,” AgriFutures Australia managing director John Harvey says.
“This scholarship program seeks to build on that, giving scholars the opportunity to grow their skills and networks, and in time, open doors to a successful career.”
Studying agriculture or related majors at university, the winners will participate in a two-year program run by AgriFutures Australia to help them further their learning, grow leadership skills and expand their networks.
Each scholar has been paired with an industry sponsor that aligns with their career aspirations and industry experience.
AgriFutures says this will help scholars network with industry leaders and learn skills relevant to a career in their chose field.
On top of this, each scholar will receive a $10,000 bursary to aid with university and living expenses, attend annual four-day professional development workshops and complete two weeks of industry work placements each year within their sponsor’s industry.
The full list of sponsors for 2024 comprises the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Meat and Livestock Australia, Hort Innovation, Marine Bio Products CRC, Australian Eggs, Mt Burdett Foundation, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and AgriFutures Australia.
Harvey says industry sponsors are integral to the program, with the sponsor and scholar pairing proving scholars with the opportunity to connect to an industry on a deeper level.
“Grains Research and Development Corporation has sponsored 55 scholars since the inception of the Horizon Scholarship,” he says.
“This fantastic commitment to students at a tertiary level fills the talent pipeline for the grains industry.”
Supported by the Mt Burdett Foundation, based in Esperance, Western Australia, 2024 scholar Cleo Noonan says she is incredibly excited to have been awarded the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship.
Studying a Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Science) at Curtin University with minors in Applied Finance and Agricultural Genetics, Noonan says she can’t wait to partake in all the networking opportunities the program will offer.
“I believe the upcoming AgriFutures Horizon Workshop in Wagga Wagga will be an amazing opportunity to meet with like-minded students from all over Australia as well as industry professionals from all facets of agriculture,” she says.
Noonan’s family are long-standing sheep and wheat farmers in the south of Western Australia, however she grew up in the state’s capital Perth – which she says gives her an interesting perspective on both urban and rural life.
“I knew I wanted to take my knack for science and combine it with my passion for agriculture,” she says.
“In the future, I hope to give back to the Western Australian farming community by growing my knowledge and skillset to ensure the continued success of our ag.”
Joshua Bramley, studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic) and Computer Science at UNSW Sydney, is fascinated by autonomous robots in precision agriculture – including spot sprayers and advanced autosteer systems.
Growing up on a small farm in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Bramley says he sees these emerging technologies as an opportunity for increased productivity as we face growing population.
“Recently I’ve enjoyed blending this love of autonomous systems with the power of cloud computing and technologies to create accessible remote systems,” he says.
“I’m excited to see where new opportunities lie in developing solutions to the challenges people face in normal operations.”
Sasha Gifford’s family are dried fruit producers for Sunraysia, who have been doing it since the end of World War II. They also have had mixed farming enterprises in Victoria’s Wimmera region.
Studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at The University of Adelaide, she says that despite her family’s long history in the industry, she didn’t find her passion for horticulture until working in her gap year.
Gifford was employed on a large vineyard in southwest NSW that grew a large variety of wine grapes and she was also a field technician for a few small pest trials in vineyards, citrus orchards and almonds.
“After I have completed my degree, I would like to be working in the horticultural industry as an agronomist that assist growers in managing their pest and disease or plant nutrition, as through my studies this is what I have found a particular interest for,” she says.
List of winners
- Ailish King from the University of Sydney (sponsored by AgriFutures Australia)
- Alyssa Seckinger-Crow from the University of Melbourne (sponsored by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation)
- Chloe Frank from Charles Sturt University (sponsored by Meat & Livestock Australia)
- Cleo Noonan from Curtin University (sponsored by Mt Burdett Foundation)
- Edison West from Flinders University (sponsored by Hort Innovation)
- Eloise Knox from the University of New England (sponsored by Hort Innovation)
- Georgia Ditchfield from the University of New England (sponsored by Grains Research and Development Corporation)
- Isabelle Duff from UNSW Sydney (sponsored by AgriFutures Australia)
- Jack McKay from Charles Sturt University (sponsored by AgriFutures Australia)
- James Meggitt from the University of Melbourne (sponsored by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation)
- Jamie Vincent from the University of Western Australia (sponsored by Grains Research and Development Corporation)
- Joshua Bramley from UNSW Sydney (sponsored by Meat & Livestock Australia)
- Julian Craven from the Australian National University (sponsored by Cotton Research and Development)
- Lachlan Craig from the University of Melbourne (sponsored by Grains Research and Development)
- Lauren Mcllveen from Charles Sturt University (sponsored by Australian Eggs)
- Maria Costantino from the University of Sydney (sponsored by Grains Research and Development Corporation)
- Nicholas Myers from Charles Sturt University (sponsored by AgriFutures Australia)
- Ruby Fox from the University of Tasmania (sponsored by Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre)
- Sasha Gifford from the University of Adelaide (sponsored by Hort Innovation).