AgForce schools to industry liaison officer Colleen Kleinschmidt said it was the seventh year AgForce has partnered with CSIRO and Youth Futures Capricornia to present the Ag Science Discovery Days for more than 100 students from six schools across the region.

With agricultural education excluded from the proposed national curriculum, Ms Kleinschmidt said it has never been so important for school students to discover the role farming plays in society.

“The aim of the Ag Science Discovery Days is to provide students who are looking at their career options with practical, hands-on experience about what agriculture can offer them,” Ms Kleinschmidt said.

“Many students who don’t have rural backgrounds associate ‘agriculture’ with mustering cattle and driving tractors, so the Discovery Days showcase the technology and scientific research areas of primary production which go hand-in-hand with these on-farm activities.

“For example, students have the chance to check out the latest agricultural technology, learn about agro-forestry and biosecurity, assess land conditions and water quality and even try their hand at pregnancy testing and artificially inseminating cattle.”

Ms Kleinschmidt said AgForce recognises the importance of showcasing all aspects of agriculture to young people who are considering their careers.

“With society looking down the barrel of global food shortages combined with a skills shortage in the primary industries sector, it is essential that every Australian student has a clear appreciation of why agriculture is an essential industry and a rewarding career choice,” she said.

“Exposing students to agricultural science at the Discovery Days is just one way AgForce can play a part in educating this generation that ‘ag’ is broader than farming – the industry includes research, technology and many other sectors.”