One could argue trainee agronomist Mitch Dwyer has landed in one of the most diverse and interesting agricultural areas in the nation to start off his career.
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Mr Dwyer, who is originally from Blayney, has just commenced work with Elders Cowra and alongside long-term agronomist Peter Watt and says he looks forward to the challenge.
“It’s really good. I love farming, I really enjoy getting outside, talking to farmers and working with them and understanding their systems and improving them as much as we can.”
However, Mr Dwyer is a familiar face in the area, having completed a 12-week placement with Elders Cowra earlier this year during his studies at Charles Sturt University.
Mr Watt said it was great to see universities preparing students with the opportunity for hands-on experience.
“It’s great to see tertiary institutions supplying potential staff members that can just perform this role in this technical space,” he said.
“It shows the strength of the CSU course and placement program and how its given me a leap up in the industry. These guys already know me after 12 weeks and its helped a lot.”
Mr Watt says Mitch’s established connections and youth will work to his advantage in the role and is a welcome addition to the team.
“They have a far more innate knowledge about IT and the sort of whizz-bangery that’s come into agriculture,” he said.
“You’ve got to compliment that with traditional skills and observation and paddock nouse but it’s the combination of youth and experience.”
Mr Watt said their immediate focus right now is on weed control and management and setting up programs for farmers in 2018.
“We do harvest reviews and we do plenty of interviews with farmers to establish what they are going to do in 2018 and indeed further on from that.”
Mr Watt said Mitch is now a part of a rapidly growing and changing industry and agronomists are essential for the future of food production worldwide.
“I heard a figure quoted to me a few years ago that there were eight vacancies for every one agronomist,” he said.
“It’s a significant challenge for the globe and agronomists are part of the team.”
