Name: Madeleine Hamilton 
Age: 23
Location: Sydney, NSW
Job title: Executive Officer – Marketing, Membership Services, Events & Industry Liaison, Australian Lot Feeders Association
How did you get into agriculture? I grew up on a sheep property in Mudgee, rural NSW.
Education:Hurlstone Agricultural High School & I hold a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of Sydney.
If you studied/trained in agriculture, why did you choose that degree/certificate? I was enticed by a scholarship, however, I have always had a passion for Agriculture and so I chose to study Agricultural Economics so I could be involved in Australian Agriculture without having to be a farmer!
What are/were your plans after school/tafe/university? My plan was to work in Agribusiness Banking helping farmers to achieve their goals on farm. I did this for a few months before I moved back to Sydney to pursue a more agribusiness focused events role. I now work for the Australian Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA) as their Marketing, Membership Services, Events & Industry Liaison Executive Officer.
Describe your job on the average day My day begins with reading my emails! Then I am planning the many ALFA events and workshops that are on throughout the year. I also look after our membership, which might entail communicating news on issues affecting our members.
What is your favourite part of your job? My favourite part is getting to work with people who are also passionate about Australian Agriculture and who are genuinely advocating for a more efficient and environmentally sustainable future in Agriculture.
What are your interests?I love to play netball and snow ski. I also like getting back to Mudgee where I can see my family and get back to my roots!
What’s your favourite thing about the industry? How dynamic and resilient it is. Also, the people – the industry would be nothing without them.
Best experience in agriculture? Traveling to visit Laos on a University Trip to discover agriculture in developing worlds. What I learnt from the Lao people was priceless.
Worst experience in agriculture? Being forced to take Agriculture as a subject at school. However, I ended up enjoying it in the end!
What do you think will be the biggest challenges of the agricultural industry in the future? Having enoughfood and water to feed the population with an ever decreasing amount of resources available. I also believe a challenge will be a skills shortage, as there are not enough students taking Agricultural focused degrees at University.
Why do you think less people are becoming involved in agriculture? There is a perception that agriculture is not cool to study. However, it is pretty cool when as a graduate you have one of the most employable degrees out there and have a plethora of opportunities that scale across all sectors of the job market from finance, marketing, science, education etc.. the list is endless!
What advice do you have for people thinking about getting into agriculture? Do it! If you want to be employed, earn great money, go to work and do something interesting every day then agriculture is for you! There is only one catch. You have to be passionate about agriculture.
How important do you think an agricultural background is to become involved in the industry? I definitely think it is an advantage, however I don’t see it as a disadvantage if you don’t have a background in agriculture if you are willing to learn and get passionate about it!
