SACE ag students thrive in 2020 despite difficult year

Loxton High School year 12 student Deepak Atwal said he had placed big expectations on himself leading into 2020, and was proud to receive a merit for agricultural production.

His family owns Atwal Farms in Renmark, growing winegrapes, almonds, pistachios and stonefruit, but he enjoyed learning about all parts of agriculture.

"I had no experience in livestock and was learning things on the fly - it was a bit difficult but that's when my work ethic came in handy," Mr Atwal said.

Mr Atwal hopes to study agricultural science at university next year, possibly paired with a business management degree, before working in the agriculture sector.

Gawler's Felicity Paige, Trinity College, was "surprised but ecstatic" to receive a merit for agricultural production.

Having grown up with a menagerie of animals, including cats, dogs, guinea pigs, horses, and with her mother's family having worked on a number of cattle stations in northern SA, Ms Paige had always been interested in agriculture.

While she particularly enjoyed the sustainable agriculture and environmental management units of agriculture, she has applied to study veterinary bioscience in Adelaide next year.

"I've wanted to be a vet for a long time, working with people who have the same interests as me, to maintain and improve animal health and wellbeing would be amazing," she said.

Faith Lutheran College dux and agricultural systems merit recipient Lucy Blenkiron, whose family run first-cross ewes at Springton, has also decided to undertake a tertiary course other than agricultural science, but ending up in agriculture is her eventual goal.

"Midway through this year I was accepted into a double degree in law and commerce at Adelaide Uni, based on my year 11 results," Ms Blenkiron said.

"I want to develop my skills out of the industry, to bring back to farm businesses, I want to work with farmers on succession planning."

Ms Blenkiron is also particularly interested in advocating for young women in agriculture.

Glencoe's Angus Langsmith, Grant High School, has got a merit to his name before even starting year 12, having scored a merit in agricultural systems while in year 11.

He took the subject this year as it is only offered at his school every second year.

"I didn't get how big a deal a merit was until my teacher told me, and Dad said I had to go into school for some photos," he said.

He particularly enjoyed his external investigation on meat eating quality of some of the Poll Dorset lambs at Majardah stud, Glencoe, run by Dale, Ruth and Adam Price.

The well-regarded agricultural program at Westminster College in Adelaide attracts students from across SA - and two have received merits in agricultural production in their senior year.

One recipient, Angus Llewellyn, Keith, was "pretty chuffed" with the result.

"All the hard work over the year paid off, it was nice that the effort put in has been recognised," he said.

After a gap year working on his family farm, where the Llewellyns run the Jillangolo Red Angus stud, he plans to start an agribusiness degree at Marcus Oldham College, Geelong, Vic, in 2022.

"I did accounting at school too, I'm really interested in the business side of farming," he said.

Fellow merit recipient Alex Walker-Hart, who hails from a cropping property at Nundroo, enjoyed all aspects of her agriculture studies.

"I'm hoping to get into ag science in Adelaide next year, and I know I'll have to specialise, but right now I'm interested in everything," she said.

Ms Walker-Hart completed online learning from Nundroo for the last six weeks of term two, and was grateful for school support during that time - especially from her agriculture teacher, Clinton Seekamp.

"I couldn't ask for a better ag teacher, he got us to do more write-ups when we were home, and pracs when we were back," she said.

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Ms Walker-Hart had aimed to celebrate the end of the school year by taking a trip to the South East - although that plan was cut short.

"I was in Mount Gambier with a friend when the most recent lockdown occurred, and it was a race against the clock to travel the 1400 kilometres back home by midnight," she said.

"We got there at 12:20am, it was a big day."

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