While growing up on a beef farm in the Southern Tablelands of NSW, Emily Lavis developed a desire to expand her knowledge and outlook on the agriculture industry and to become more aware of the issues the industry is facing.
Emily grew up on her family's cattle beef property near Braidwood, NSW, and after finishing Year 12, she travelled to the NT and worked on a cattle station for a gap year.
After completing her gap year, Emily now studies a Bachelor of Agricultural Science.
The 2021 Horizon Scholar, sponsored by the AgriFutures Emerging Industries Program, is excited to be building networks and exploring a variety of emerging industries.
"I'm excited about the role agriculture will need to play to support increases in population and food security," Emily said.
"This scholarship has been a great opportunity to meet and work with like-minded people.
"Getting out of my comfort zone, developing my networks and skills will be a great asset to my career into the future."
Studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science seemed like a natural progression for Emily.
"Growing up I was always super keen to be doing farm work," she said.
"Mum and Dad always included us in the farm operations and explained what they were doing and why they were doing it.
"I think this ignited my passion for life on the land.
"I was always interested in learning about the work that was happening on the property, it seemed to come naturally.
"From a young age, I have always been very passionate about agriculture and in particular beef cattle.
"I would often think of other career paths, but I kept coming back to agriculture.
"There was a natural enthusiasm and I took this as a sign and just had to go for it.
"There are so many career paths within agriculture, it's an exciting space with a big future and I wanted to be a part of that."
After being awarded an AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship, Emily is interested in how emerging industries can help grow the agricultural industry.
"I'm excited to explore the different emerging food and fibre potential," Emily said.
"I think there are big opportunities in the emerging industries space as we look to have an expanding population and a greater need for food security into the future.
"The possibilities are endless - it's not all about beef, wool, dairy, and grain.
"It's exciting to witness firsthand the future of emerging industries.
"I applied for a Horizon Scholarship because I saw it as a great opportunity to expand my networks, broaden my skills and connect with like-minded people."
