Overview
- After applying to the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship in 2023 without a defined agricultural career path, Ellie is now completing a PhD focused on how cotton growers can be better supported to reduce emissions.
- Through the Horizon program, Ellie discovered regional consulting firm RMCG, where she later worked as a graduate consultant.
- Ellie says the people she met through Horizon have been one of the scholarship’s most valuable outcomes.
When Ellie Buchanan applied for the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship in 2023, she wasn’t studying an agriculture degree and wasn’t entirely sure what a future career in the sector might look like.
Three years later, she is undertaking a PhD focused on understanding how cotton growers can be better supported in reducing their emissions, a career pathway she says was shaped by the opportunities, experiences and networks she gained through the scholarship.
Originally from Sydney, Ellie moved to Mudgee during high school, where her interest in agriculture began to take shape. While studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, majoring in psychology, she found herself increasingly drawn to agriculture-related subjects.
“When I applied for the Horizon Scholarship, I actually wasn’t explicitly studying an agriculture related degree,” Ellie said.
“I was doing some ag related subjects at uni, but I just did a general science degree. I knew I was attracted to having a career in agriculture but wasn’t quite sure what that would look like yet.”
Sponsored by Dairy Australia, Ellie used the scholarship as an opportunity to explore where her interests in people, decision-making and agriculture could intersect. The experience ultimately led her to complete an Honours project focused on dairy farm employees, building a foundation for the work she would go on to pursue after university.
Following graduation, Ellie joined regional consulting firm RMCG as a graduate consultant. It was a role she discovered through the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship.
“I actually found out about them because of my involvement in the Horizon program,” she said.
“In one of the online sessions with the Horizon program, RMCG presented some of the work that they were doing with AgriFutures. So that’s how I found out about them.”
The position saw Ellie relocate to Bendigo and work on projects supporting regional communities and agricultural industries for 12 months.
“I got a call from my now-PhD supervisor to ask me if I wanted to do a PhD, which wasn’t really something I thought I would be doing,” she said.
“I was interested in the topic, and I also thought, if I say no to this opportunity, then I probably will live to question whether it was the right decision to make.”
Today, Ellie is a PhD candidate with Central Queensland University, undertaking research funded by Cotton Research and Development Corporation – another connection she formed during her time in the AgriFutures Horizon program. Her work explores the social and psychological drivers influencing cotton growers’ engagement with low-emissions practices and aims to inform future industry extension activities.
While the scholarship provided valuable industry placements and professional development opportunities, Ellie believes its greatest benefit has been the people she met along the way.
“It’s really cliche, but I feel like the people that you meet through doing the program is probably the most valuable thing I’ve taken out of it,” she said.
“Not even the industry connections, just the other scholars that you are part of the program with.”
Those connections continue to play an important role in her career, providing a network of peers who share similar interests while pursuing diverse pathways across the agricultural sector.
“For me, it’s been great to build connections with other young people who have a similar passion to you, but still have diversity in their careers and interests,” she said.
“It’s nice to know that there’s other people that you can reach out to.”
The scholarship also introduced Ellie to a broad range of agricultural experiences through industry placements. These included working on one of Australia’s largest dairy operations, attending the Cotton Conference and learning from a leadership and organisational psychologist working with dairy farmers on people management.
Looking back, Ellie encourages students to embrace the opportunities the scholarship offers and not feel pressured to have every career decision mapped out before applying.
“You don’t need to have everything figured out right now or have all the answers,” she said.
“There’s no harm in putting your name in the hat and seeing how it all works out.”
For Ellie, what began as a last-minute application became the catalyst for a career spanning consulting, research and industry engagement.
Applications for the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship are now open. The program provides university students with professional development, industry networking opportunities, a bursary and hands-on industry placements designed to help build the next generation of leaders in Australian agriculture.
