AFTER battling with the mining industry for years, the agricultural sector is finally making a comeback.
The Ag.Trade.Life - Powering the Future exhibition at Mackay showgrounds yesterday and today has been a way for the local agriculture industry to stand up and say "Hey, we're still here," organiser Canegrowers' Sonia Ball said.
The agriculture industry had worked progressively with the growth of mining, and the inaugural exhibition was a way to celebrate one of the region's largest industries, she said.
"We have a percentage of younger people coming off the farms, going into the mines, but coming back to farms," she said. "It's all finding its balance."
With the downturn in the mining industry, agriculture was back on the map, she said.
Sarina State High School agriculture department head Tracy Soward-Amalfi said agriculture had been competing with the mining industry when it came to attracting people because of the income drawcard.
However, she said more students were leaning towards careers in agriculture.
In Sarina, students are getting a taste of agriculture early and soon want to follow it as a career.
It was more than just feeding animals, Ms Soward-Amalfi said.
"In the area of show judging, our kids have been unstoppable," she said.
"We pride ourselves on presentation. The kids learn about self respect and there's no 'I don't want to do it' policy. Everything is about experiences and life is about taking risks."
Hundreds of people walked through the exhibition gates yesterday.
Today the exhibition will run from 8am-3pm at the Mackay Showgrounds.
Original Article Here
No comments:
Post a Comment