STUDENTS have a preconceived idea that a career in agriculture means getting down and dirty planting crops or feeding cattle, but a Charles Sturt University lecturer is convincing them a career in agriculture can mean suits and money.
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A drop in the number of students choosing to study agriculture led course director Yann Guisard on a mission to visit students in Orange, Parkes, Bathurst and surrounds to convince them agriculture is not what it seems.
“Agriculture is a discipline not a profession ... a bulk of the jobs in agriculture are in support of farmers,” he said.
“There are more jobs outside the farm gate rather than inside the farm gate.”
Dr Guisard referred to jobs in finance, communication, legal, marketing and science.
Traditionally when people thought of agriculture they thought of farming and then all of the negative connotations that come with farming such as drought, floods and poor markets, he said.
But the agricultural industry has an employment rate of 98 per cent and the pay is, on average, higher than other disciplines according to Dr Guisard.
A steady influx of students chose agriculture at university this year but in previous years there had been a serious decline as students chose to enter the mining industry instead, Dr Guisard said.
“The country needs it,” he said.
“I certainly think with the students I have seen I’m not sure I have convinced them to do agriculture but I have convinced them agriculture is not farming.”
nicole.kuter@fairfamedia.com.au
