Cotton farmer and agronomist Grace Griffiths is on a mission to promote the wide and wonderful world of working in the agricultural sector.
From her family farm base near Goondiwindi, Grace has created a popular agricultural careers blog and story sharing platform followed by thousands on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
It is aptly called 101 Ag Pathways and features video content of people working in different parts of the industry, including many who found their way without following a traditional university pathway.
“Cotton or the ag industry has never just been growers in a paddock,” Grace said.
“There are thousands of roles supporting our producers, and thousands of ways to get there.”
Grace’s own short career in the agricultural sector demonstrates the diversity of work in the broadacre cropping sector. After a completing an agricultural science degree in 2021, she returned to the family farm to work in the business’s agronomy services team.
Her agricultural career has since expanded into cropping and soil improvement projects in the Northern Territory, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and carbon farming accounting work with Charles Sturt University (CSU).
“Our own family business is a good example of the different supporting roles that are needed. We have a real mixture of careers, from farm management and agronomists through to irrigation specialists and casual harvest labour.”
“101 Ag Pathways is my side hustle and a sort of extension from our family farm and agronomy services business. It’s unpaid work, but I love it.”
Grace said her own experience finishing university in 2021 without a clear idea of what careers were available sparked her passion to start 101 Ag Pathways.
“Even though I grew up in a farming family, I really had no idea of the work opportunities in agriculture. I finished Uni and had this overwhelming sense of uncertainty about what I was meant to do.”
“That really sparked a bout of intrigue in me about how many people are missing out on a career in agriculture just because they have never been exposed.”
“I decided to start 101 Ag Pathways around six months after I finished my degree as platform to share stories of people working in agriculture and how they got there.”
Grace’s strong network in the cotton industry means many of the stories are related to the cropping sector, but she is keen to highlight the broader opportunities that exist across agriculture.
“My initial target audience was university and school leavers, but it has since expanded to include nearly everyone.”
“I’ve had people contact me who grew up on farms and took on other careers but now want to get back into the agricultural sector. I can be matchmaker in those cases and link them up with employers in my network.”
“Ideally, I would like to grow into a business that offers for a hub for employers and direct employment opportunities available in agriculture.”
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