Agricultural admissions continue to climb

On Tuesday, 15,392 offers were made to prospective undergraduate students.

University of Adelaide Agriculture, Food and Wine head Mike Keller said this year, offers for the “flagship” Bachelor of Agriculture Science degree had been made to 67 domestic students – up from last year’s class of 58.

“Numbers have been increasing year-on-year for the past five years,” he said.

“It’s not just us, it is a trend seen throughout Australia.”

Professor Keller said agriculture was increasingly being considered as a potential career option.

“There has never been a better time to be in farming,” he said.

While numbers in the popular agriculture course rose, the Bachelor of Applied Biology degree was entering its third year in operation, with a lift in admission.

Prof Keller said the lift in enrolments could be linked to the wide range of job prospects.

“At the end of last year, every (graduating) student I talked to had a job lined up,” he said.

Prof Keller said international figures were still to be determined, but in the past few years these had also been increasing.

He said there were some other changing trends in enrolments.

“Historically we see people from farming backgrounds, but we’re probably seeing more and more urban-based students coming to the program as they see opportunities,” he said.

“It’s not just dirt on the boots, it’s an attractive, professional industry.”

Incoming first-year Agricultural Science student Tahlia Lockwood, Eden Hills, is one young person entering agriculture from a non-farming background.

“I didn’t grow up on a property but from a young age I wanted to work with animals,” she said.

It was at Urrbrae Agricultural High School that this developed into a more specific love of working with livestock.

She will be joined by several of her classmates, with nine students from Urrbrae receiving first round offers in the Ag Science degree, three into the Bachelor of Animal Science and one into Veterinary Science.

Last year, Ms Lockwood was named the Central Districts Young Rural Ambassador as a testament to her passion for agriculture.

While the talk of good job prospects did help her her decision to study agriculture, Ms Lockwood said it was her interest in the farming sector that was the primary driver.

“If you’re doing something you enjoy, it’s not going to seem like work as you’re going to want to do it,” she said.

She plans to teach agriculture at a secondary level and believes this course will give her a good grounding.

“I think working in agriculture is something I’ll enjoy and it will help a lot more people than a doctor or a lawyer,” she said.