AN industry insight was shared to Muresk students at the annual Muresk Institute Student Association Lecture recently from guest speakers Hassad chief executive officer John McKillop (see separate story on page 13) and student Euan Grylls.
The Muresk Lecture was created by the Muresk Students Association in 1981 so that high-profile speakers could talk about topical ag industry issues and share their experiences.
Before Mr McKillop presented to the audience of 50 students and local industry professionals at the 25th Muresk lecture, Charles Sturt University (CSU) Agricultural Business Management degree student Euan Grylls said a few words as a representative of the association on the Muresk Lecture committee about his time at Muresk so far.
“Like most of my peers I come from an agricultural background, having grown up on a broadacre sheep and cropping property near Bencubbin, so this course was a natural progression for me to learn to manage a farming business,” Mr Grylls said.
“I saw it as a huge advantage that the course was a mix of subjects for agricultural production and business management, delivered here on a working farm, by lecturers that have real experience in the agricultural industry.
“Immediately I felt that I was being brought up to speed with the future of farming.
“So when I am able to go back to our farm, I’ll understand the management and complexities of running a farming enterprise and could even bring new ideas to the table – I know that the CSU degree education is working for me as I have been able to apply some things that I have learnt already.”
Mr Grylls partially completed a degree in psychology before returning to the farm, where he decided to study at Muresk.
“A change like that meant starting over again, but I’m glad that I did,” he said.
“It’s an exciting time to be getting into agriculture, with new and exciting technologies being established and demand for food and fibre being greater than ever.
“I can’t help but think that the opportunity to get involved in this industry is too good to miss.
“The only people happier than me with my decision to study agriculture are my parents and grandparents on the farm.”
Studying at Muresk has exposed Mr Grylls to many different areas of agriculture.
Although his focus was on farming when he enrolled at CSU, it has introduced him to a world of opportunities.
“Through our lectures, tours and the people that we meet, including current and former Muresk students from across WA, we get to see the bigger picture,” he said.
“It’s exciting to consider going on to use this education to make a difference in supporting our industry.
