First year agriculture student at the University of Tasmania, Jordan Burr, hopes she can one day use her degree to inspire younger generations to pursue a career in agriculture.
Jordan moved from Nook in North-West Tasmania earlier this year to study a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agricultural and Business) at the University of Tasmania in Hobart.
Her passion for agriculture stemmed from growing up next to her Uncle’s cattle farm and being heavily involved in the local cattle handler’s club.
“Junior cattle-judging and handler’s classes teach you how to present yourself and handle the animal. They were a really great thing for me to do as a kid,” Jordan said.
“I always loved the idea of jumping on the tractor and feeding the cows. I still do cattle handling and still love it.”
Jordan is from a long line of Tasmanian farmers and has worked at a dairy since she was 14.
Through her degree, Jordan hopes to pursue her dream of one day owning her own cattle operation and inspiring others to do the same.
“In junior judging, we had to talk about the cattle and why we placed them that way. It was great public speaking training and a great way to teach the younger generations how to love agriculture as much as I do,” she said.
My degree will help me pursue something like this in agriculture and one day will allow me to talk about some of my experience.
An agriculture degree from the University of Tasmania will equip Jordan with the tools needed to reach her goals through a powerful combination of agricultural science, farm management and business subjects.
With the help of a Give for Good Scholarship , Jordan was able to relocate to Hobart without the added stress of needing to find work.
“I had to leave home to study, which meant I had to leave my job. Without the scholarship, buying things for Uni wouldn’t have been possible. I’m very grateful for the scholarship and the opportunities it has created for me,” She said.
Give for Good is a Domino’s charity that provides eight scholarships worth $160,000 to rural students wanting to study agriculture or business at the University of Tasmania.
Interim Director of the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), Professor Mike Rose said it was fantastic to see young people interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.
“Highly skilled agricultural graduates are in strong demand in Tasmania. The training of Tasmania’s future agriculture workforce is one of the ways we are supporting industry to adapt to future challenges including increased climate variability,” Professor Rose said.
“These challenges are why so many of our students are drawn to the science behind agriculture and how they can help grow and improve the industry. We work closely with industry partners to ensure our students have practical, real-world experiences that equip them with the best possible start in their careers.”
Find out more about studying Agricultural Science