University of New England Armidale student Holly White is doing a Bachelor of Rural Science and secured a Scholarship Opportunity with Pursehouse Rural at the beginning of 2024. The implications have eased some of the cost-of-living stresses.
Pursehouse Rural offers a diverse range of career opportunities and support for students to develop skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience within the agricultural industry. With many students completing agricultural degrees and moving away from regional areas, young people are in demand to stay in the agricultural industry in regional and rural locations. Pursehouse Rural is hoping to encourage and support students to perform agricultural roles in regional and rural areas. To emphasise the importance of this, Pursehouse Rural has arranged a longstanding scholarship opportunity fund offered to students at the University of New England. This fund was established by Pursehouse Rural in 2020 to prepare and support students to achieve their goals and grow for success.
Student Holly White is studying for a Bachelor of Rural Science at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW. Holly researched the scholarship brief and noted that her degree in rural science had fit the criteria, in addition to her living in a rural area. Holly was successful in receiving the scholarship opportunity through Pursehouse Rural. This scholarship opportunity has supported Holly with her college fees and eased some of the living costs. Holly was able to purchase a new laptop at the beginning of the year to assist with all her exams, which are now online.
Holly has had an interest in agriculture from a young age, being raised on a farm in the Inverell region and completing agricultural courses throughout her high school years. Holly’s farm consisted of chickens and some potty sheep from her uncle’s sheep farm. Holly had raised lambs when she was younger and now has a flock of the little potty lambs she has raised over the years.
It was not until Holly’s mentor at high school suggested to Holly that she should complete a bachelor of rural science and influenced Holly, after completing it herself. When Holly commenced university, she was intrigued by the science involved in agriculture. Holly says, “I was sure that I wanted to do something with sheep genetics, but now since I am there, I am just not sure, there are so many options”. There is such a broad range of multifaceted roles that can prepare individuals for a future-focused career. From environmental sciences to plant genetics, students can explore the diversity of agricultural careers.
However, after completing the first trimester of her studies she has found it interesting how all the units are interconnected. Holly had learned that biology, chemistry, and genetics were all counteracting with each other and performing a chain reaction from one to another.
One of Holly’s most recent assignments involved comparing sheep and kangaroos, and how much methane they emit on the same diet. Holly had found through her research that kangaroos emit limited methane compared to sheep while they are also much better for the environment. Similarly, Holly discovered that introducing seaweed into cattle diets can reduce the amount of methane cows produce. Holly was quite interested in the sciences behind the animals and other components such as diet impacting methane production. Holly recognises that reducing emissions caused by agriculture is significant for the future, “Everyone who implements it [reducing emissions] is making a little bit of a change, but I don’t think we will see a huge change in the emissions unless everybody is on board with it”.
So far in her studies, Holly has completed a trimester of animal science, agronomy, animal production systems, and genetics. Before university, Holly had no knowledge or experience with agronomy, however, since recently completing an agronomy course she says, “I didn’t think I would like agronomy at all, but I completed an agronomy unit, and it was my favourite thing”.
As part of Holly’s degree, she must complete 120 hours of placement throughout the 3-year course. Over these 12 weeks of placement, she must do a minimum of four different industries and hopes to spend some time with the team at Pursehouse Rural.
Over previous years, Pursehouse Rural has offered a range of Graduate Programs to students looking for experience in a rewarding and proactive agribusiness. Agronomy Programs involve an individual working closely with Senior Agronomists to develop skills and knowledge in a practical, measured, and supported way. Other students and team members have participated in AgLink exchange programs and seminars to help support graduate learning. Agronomists across a range of Pursehouse Rural branches have travelled through exchange programs while agronomists from other countries including Canada have travelled to Australia to learn agronomy with the Pursehouse Rural team. In addition to this, Pursehouse Rural offer other career opportunities to students in non-agricultural degrees such as marketing.
Pursehouse Rural is delighted to support Holly with her studies through a scholarship opportunity and wishes her all the best with her studies. We look forward to spending some time in the paddock with her and seeing how she progresses throughout her degree.