I’ve always had a passion for science, and an enthusiasm for helping people. These two facets combined perfectly to lead me into a career in agriculture and soils! I have family links to farming, and it’s been great to connect with that side of my own family’s history that maybe I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t chosen a career in agriculture.

I’m fairly early career, having finished a degree in Agricultural Science (Hons I) from the University of Sydney in 2020, and then spending two years at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) as a graduate in the soil and land management program. 

The experiences I had at university and then at ACIAR really opened my eyes to how vital it is that we take care of our soils and work to understand how they operate within diverse agricultural systems. I really enjoy looking at some of the social dimensions of how we relate to and use our soils as a resource. Things like linking good soil stewardship to beneficial market outcomes for smallholders overseas, and our land managers here in Australia, is something I’m interested in, as well as food security and how soils are managed across pasture systems, horticulture and viticulture. I’m also in the process of obtaining my Registered Soil Practitioner certification and sit on Soil Science Australia’s national training board.

There are a few things I want to achieve in this role:

  – Support a strong Tasmanian soils community, by creating networks and access to expertise

  – Advocate for the strengths of Tasmanian agriculture and future potential with good soil management

  – Attract funding opportunities to enable the Tasmanian soils community to continue the fantastic work that’s being done

  – Work with workforce planners and educators to highlight the opportunities that exist in working in soils and agriculture.