Australia's farming and agronomy sectors could soon receive dozens of newly-qualified workers, following the latest class graduating from Longerenong Agricultural College on Friday night.
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General manager John Goldsmith said it was exciting to see new graduates every year with their parents and to acknowledge their couple of years of study.
"They come from across Australia, and bringing all of them to the Wimmera gives them exposure to the region and some of them actually stay here and get employed which is a great thing," Mr Goldsmith said.
Laura Byrnes-Smith, of Nathalia, studied an Advanced Diploma of Agricultural Management. She has just started a job in nutrition at Sandhurst Stockfeeds in Bendigo.
"In my time here I've played netball at Rupanyup where I made a lot of good connections," she said. "I could definitely see myself moving back here one day: I like Horsham as a town and the surrounds."
Tom Arnold, who graduated from Certificate IV in Agriculture and is still studying at Longerenong for an Advanced Diploma, hopes to move back to his family farm at Berrigan in NSW.
"Family told me Longy was a good place to go, and I've learned a heap of accounting stuff which I'll take back home to help my old man," he said.
"It's opened up a whole new world to me in agriculture. I've made new mates and established some new business relationships in Horsham with O'Connors and Case, so I'll definitely try and keep in touch with all of them once I head back home."
Quintin Morgan-Murphy is one of the graduates that will be staying in the region, at least for the time being. Originally from Bendigo, Mr Morgan-Murphy studied an Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management.
"I'm not off a farm myself but I have had family members who were. I had a passion for farming and wanted to pursue that," he said.
Mr Morgan-Murphy is undertaking seasonal work at chemical company BASF's Wimmera crop breeding facility. "In the long run I want to go into agribusiness and finance," he said. "I'm happy to see where life takes me."
Lucy Powell from Paraparap won the Horsham Rural Citizen of the Year award as well as being named Dux of Diploma of Agronomy.
Rebecca Sluggett from Goroke was named outstanding first year student for the Victorian Wheat Research Foundation, Dux of first year Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management and won the award for Insect Collection.
Ellie McDonald from Dadswells Bridge was named Dux of Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management, while Stevie Bibby from Horsham was Dux of Certificate IV in Agriculture.