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Building industry’s capability to feed future populations is fast becoming a focus of youth in the agricultural sector, and there’s no shortage of bright sparks to drive efficiencies through the value chain.
Many of these young guns leading the way forward were in attendance at the University of Sydney’s recent Agricultural Society networking event, held to provide students with a chance to connect with industry leaders and gain a better understanding of the opportunities available in agriculture.
AuctionsPlus’ very own George Shannon was on the panel at the event and is one of the many up-and-coming faces driving change within the industry, despite a career in ag not always being on his cards. “Surprisingly, when I was younger, the last thing I wanted to do was have a career in agriculture,” George said.
“What led me to ag was the challenge of improving efficiencies with a limited resource.
“That, partnered with a love of the land and the lifestyle – as well as a love of the people – is why I’m now doing what I do.”
Above: George (second from right) with other panelists and attendees of the University of Sydney's Agricultural Society networking event.
On the job
Originally from Bookham, NSW, George is a Product Owner within the Systems and Innovation team at AuctionsPlus.
An alumni of the University of Sydney, George began his career at AuctionsPlus in the Operations team in 2020 before transitioning into his current role as Product Owner - a role he says is both demanding and rewarding in equal share.
“My day-to-day involves a lot of discussions with business units and stakeholders, collecting feedback, and documenting requirements for improvements to our platform,” George said.
“I then take all of that and look to create products that add value and may either change or enhance the way that agriculture is done in the future, through AuctionsPlus.
“Being able to do this – solve problems in an innovative way – as well as being part of the team of people that I work with, is what makes this job so rewarding, day in, day out.”
Breaking the barriers
Now with a few years of industry experience under his belt, George said many would find the sector is a little different to what they may expect.
“One of the bigger misconceptions around the industry we see is that agriculture is all men, which is certainly not the case,” George said.
“Many people also think that farmers are exclusively profit driven, when the reality is they care so much for their animals and the land.”
Having a rural background, George said, also isn’t a prerequisite for a stellar career in agriculture.
“As we can see from the people that come through AuctionsPlus, we have a pretty even split of people from rural and urban backgrounds working in the industry,” George said.
“At the end of the day, the people that are the best at their job and that move up are the ones that are keen and excited about agriculture.
“It’s really just that love for ag that is the key to success.”
Above: George representing AuctionsPlus at a recent event.
For the future
For graduates or other young people now entering the industry, George said it was important to stay inquisitive as they take their first steps into a career in agriculture.
“My main advice would be to just ask questions,” George said.
“Get to know what you’re doing, and, more importantly, why.
“Questioning what we do is the way to find efficiencies and also the way to justify why you’re doing something, and what you aim to get out of it.”
This focus on efficiency, George believes, could be the key to ensuring the agricultural sector can sustain the global population into the future.
“There’s only so much land – we really do have a finite amount of resources - and so we need to learn how to be more efficient and essentially feed the world with its growing population,” George said.
“We could achieve this through breeding better animals, building better technology, implementing better farm management – there’s a thousand ways we could do this.”
“However, finding what works and putting it into action is going to be our major challenge for the future.”
