#SheCan The Advocate
#SheCan proudly sponsored by the AgriFutures Australia Rural Women’s Award
“I grew up in a fashion/retail world in Brisbane, but we always had a cattle property at Cooyar, QLD so that always kept my interest in the possibility of working in agriculture.
I went to UQ at Gatton and started a degree in Applied Science. After my first six months at Uni, I went off to Theodore to start “bug-checking” in cotton, and after my first two weeks, I fell in love with the crop and changed my degree to major in Plants and Rural business.
I kept working on cotton farms until I graduated university, which is then when I started my official career in cotton. I worked as an on-farm agronomist in the Namoi and Gwydir for the next five or so years until we started to really get into the depths of drought in 2018.
In 2021 my boyfriend and I decided to move to Queensland so I resigned from CottonInfo and was lucky enough to get a position with the Cotton Research and Development Corporation as a Research and Development manager, where I now work remotely from Goondiwindi.
A typical day for me is probably quite boring but I love the simplicity I have from now living in town and working from home. I wake up around 6, have a quick cuddle with my dogs and cat, check my emails then go to the gym/go for a walk. When I get back, I prepare for my day’s online meetings (I work remotely so I have a lot of these).
Some days or weeks I have a lot of travel, so it really depends, our head office is in Narrabri so some weeks I spend a few days down there, other weeks I might be off to somewhere new! I am just about to pack my bags to head off to Canberra for a week as I write this. So the days and weeks when I am here I love to spend time in our house and garden, have dinners at home, and go camping and fishing with our friends.”
Elsie wrote the following back in 2019 and we asked her to reflect on it:
“It can be challenging to remain optimistic about the future of ag, sometimes it seems like we are fighting a constant battle to be understood. A lot of my friends back home in the city ask why I live out here... I find it extremely satisfying seeing their faces when they are blown away by the sheer beauty and size of the operations out here.
If I had one wish for ag supply chains, it would quite simply be an initiated focus on engagement so people can have firsthand access to exactly what it is we do" -Elsie
“Honestly, it made me a little bit emotional reading that quote from 2019. We were in the thick of a drought, experiencing dust storms every day, fighting misinformation in the mainstream media, and having our social credibility questioned and it just felt like we were constantly copping it from every angle. Personally, I do feel optimistic about ag’s future.
I think we are in a real transitional period where consumers are taking a sense of responsibility over knowing where their clothes and food are coming from, how they’re produced and the faces behind where it comes from.
Through my current work we are really seeing that stakeholders want to understand how we operate as an industry, they want to know what standards we are abiding by and want to see stories from our growers and communities.
It encourages us as an industry and community to be transparent and really promote the great and responsible work we do. We know we do it, but we have to really push that information out there so that others do too.
I think the stigma from that group (people from the city) is that country people are uneducated and unworldly, and I truly believe we live a much more fruitful life out here. Those close to me certainly see the depth of the lifestyle and humans out here, and now they have a real thirst for trying to understand how and why things happen out here.
COVID and the recent flooding was a good example of why people need to engage or at least try to understand agriculture. It’s a big wake-up call to go to your local shop which always has exactly what you want, but then all of a sudden you can’t get it.
I think that has taught people to investigate self-sufficiency which in turn demonstrates agricultural practices. Even if it is as simple as growing some lettuce or understanding the impact of borders on supply chains which means they don’t have access to potatoes, the newest jacket or car.”
Our #SheCan Campaign is proudly sponsored by AgriFutures Australia, Rural Women’s Award.
AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award is Australia's leading prize celebrating the courageous leadership and entrepreneurial drive of women involved in Australia's rural and emerging industries, businesses and communities.
For over 20 years, the Award has garnered a significant and respected status among parliamentarians, industry, media and Award alumni. Each State and Territory Winner receives a $15,000 Westpac grant for their project, business or program, access to professional development opportunities and alumni networks.
AgriFutures Australia is committed to the future growth and advancement of the Rural Women’s Award as a means of identifying, celebrating and empowering women to make decisions that ensure our rural industries prosper now, and into the future.
