The Horizon Scholarship is open to students entering their first year of university and studying a degree related to agriculture, such as agricultural science, rural science, livestock/animal science, veterinary science or agribusiness.

For more information and an application form visit the RIRDC website, www.rirdc.gov.au/horizon, or call RIRDC on 02 6271 4100.

Horizon Scholarship sponsors are RIRDC, Australian Pork Limited, the Australian Egg Corporation Limited, Lallemand Animal Nutrition, the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, Woolworths, Horticulture Australia Limited, Meat and Livestock Australia, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Australian Wool Innovation, Sugar Research Australia, McCaughey Memorial Institute and the Australian

Department of Agriculture.

FOR A BRIEF time, Billy Browning toyed with the idea of becoming a physiotherapist, but deep down his heart was always set on a career in agriculture. The University of Sydney student is from the fourth generation of his family to grow up farming in Narromine, New South Wales, and has always observed and helped his parents crop cotton, wheat, chickpeas and canola across almost 3000 hectares of partially irrigated farmland.

“I like the community, and the rewards you get on a daily basis because you’re doing something different every day,” says Billy, who is about to begin his third year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics, supported by a Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Horizon Scholarship.

He intends to one day apply the knowledge of finance gleaned from his studies to the family farm. “My idea is to go into the options and forward exchange markets in wheat and cotton to offer more off-farm investment, just to diversify and reduce our risk of price changes,” Billy says.

Through the Horizon Scholarship program, Billy has come to recognise that he is part of a broad

Billy’s bold vision for industry future

network of young people similarly passionate about ensuring a confident future for agriculture.

In addition to a bursary of $5000 per year and a series of industry placements, the scholarship has taken Billy to several Horizon Scholarship conferences, where scholars receive training in communication and advocacy and build networks with industry, government and each other.

“The best thing about the conferences is meeting other Horizon Scholars, because we’re all young and we’ve all got different ideas, but we’re all heading in the one direction, and that’s changing the face of agriculture, or branding the face of agriculture,” he says. “We’re learning how to market ourselves.”

Billy’s scholarship is sponsored by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, and a highlight for him so far has been a work placement with the Australian Cotton Research Institute, based at Narrabri, New South Wales. There, he was able to observe the painstaking efforts of breeders to develop insect-resistant cotton varieties used by cotton farmers such as the Browning family.

He has also spent time in the offices of Cotton Australia, focusing on policy and advocacy work, but now looks forward to placements that will expose him to other aspects of the industry.

“This year on my placement I’m actually thinking of going up north to a cattle station and seeing that type of agriculture, just to open my own interests and to see what is there for the future, if cotton or irrigation becomes unsustainable. And then just to see a different side of farming.”

Billy has never ridden a horse in his life, but suspects that the people he meets in his northern adventures will extend the same level of support he has encountered at every other step of his scholarship.

“If you ask anyone, they’re always happy to show you around and answer your questions.”