Calls to revitalise agricultural education amid worker shortage and image problem

Kate Waugh knew nothing about life on the land before she threw in her job as a project administrator in Melbourne and headed for a new life as a station hand, blissfully ignorant of what lay ahead at remote Gladys Downs in south-west Queensland. "It is such a big part of Australia's economy … so I think it's definitely something important to learn about," she said. More investment needed AgForce Queensland's Tanya Nagle said the rural lobby group was now footing the bill for programs to teach school students about food and fibre, after the withdrawal of external funding. "It's really hard to understand why, when agriculture is such an important part of … Australia's economy and we're crying out for a workforce," she said. "We've begun to move away from that narrative and people are beginning to see that agriculture is actually an important thing."