General News
19 July, 2023
Change of scenery proves a winner
ASHLEA Cross may have grown up in the suburbs of Melbourne, but she still found a way in to the south west agriculture industry.
ASHLEA Cross may have grown up in the suburbs of Melbourne, but she still found a way in to the south west agriculture industry.
It was Ashlea’s school that inspired her interest in agriculture and particularly breeding, which continues to grow as she takes on a new role as Genetics Australia’s southern beef representative.
“If I didn’t go to the school I went to, I wouldn’t be working in agriculture,” she said.
Ashlea attended Tintern Grammar and got involved with its agriculture and sheep breeding program from year seven, a program which by year 11 and 12 she was leading.
Ashlea’s immediate family had no connections to agriculture, although she has family members who own cropping farms in the Riverina, but that and her city base were no limitation.
“I often think about what got me interested and it was definitely from school,” she said.
“I was only exposed to the agriculture field from when I was a teenager.”
The genetics and breeding part of the course struck a particularly strong chord, giving Ashlea, now 21, a good grounding for her new job with Genetics Australia.
“I’ve always loved animals and also enjoy biology and the genetics side of things,” she said.
“Animal breeding really appealed to me when I was at school and in the work I’ve done since, I love the stud breeding and genetics side it.”
Ashlea is approaching the final trimester of her Bachelor of Agribusiness majoring in rural science at the University of New England and has had on-farm experience in the grain industry and with Nutrien Ag Solutions.
She is now looking forward to learning more about the beef industry and its farmers, and will be based just outside Lake Bolac.
“This job appealed to me for the opportunity to get out and meet producers and get to see the product of their breeding and to help them to advance their breeding,” Ashlea said.
Along with her twin sister Olivia, Ashlea will also continue to develop her own sheep stud based outside Melbourne.
“We enjoyed it so much that we decided to breed the same breed as the school and develop our own Romney stud,” she said.