Like many others who have lived and worked on the land their whole lives, when Adam Williamson realised how much power a shower of rain could have over his livelihood, he knew something needed to change.
“When the drought took all the water, I had very little farming to do at home and I needed to fill the gap, and what better way to fill a gap than education,” he says.
I really hadn't ever considered myself doing any research at all, but I found myself thinking that I probably need to reassess my life after experiencing the drought and the effects it can have on people.
With the trauma of losing nearly everything in the big dry at the front of his mind, the horse stud manager from Scone made the life changing decision to study a Graduate Certificate in Agriculture at UNE.
“I really hadn't ever considered myself doing any research at all, but I found myself thinking that I probably need to reassess my life after experiencing the drought and the effects it can have on people."
During his studies in 2018, Adam unfortunately realised the real effects of the drought first hand – as the land grew dryer, his father tragically took his own life.
With his mother Rosemary now left to run the family business Williamson Agri by herself, Adam decided to put his hand up and help out. He says this was the push he needed to keep studying and broaden his knowledge of the field.
Turning tragedy into triumph, he was recently named a 2022 Nuffield scholar, with funding from AgriFutures set to see him explore ways to improve pasture management in the thoroughbred industry.
“I've got twelve years of management experience looking after pastures and I've seen that compaction is a major constraint for us,” he says.
“It can affect the make-up of the pasture and the amount of chemicals that we require to manage weeds, so just in alleviating that area alone I'm able to get more desirable species of grasses and legumes growing to be consumed by horses.”
The prestigious Nuffield Scholarship provides recipients with a $30,000 bursary to spend on local and international travel that will expose them to world-class researchers and agricultural businesses.
I’m planning to go to the major horse stud areas in the world, and in that time, I’ll be able to see a diverse range of agricultural businesses which will help focus my study on other interesting areas.
Adam plans to take his research to Europe and the United States, and learn off some of the globe’s key players in the equine industry.
“I’m planning to go to the major horse stud areas in the world, and in that time, I’ll be able to see a diverse range of agricultural businesses which will help focus my study on other interesting areas.”
Adam says his decision to study at UNE has not only allowed him to pursue an academic career, but it’s helped him develop practical skills that can be used in his business. He’s encouraging anyone else who has reached a crossroads in their career to consider doing the same.
“I'm now in my forties, and it was nice to be able to study at my own pace and really lay the focus onto the business area that I'm in,” says Adam.
“I think it gives you some sort of focus in life and it lets you develop personally.”
To read more about the Nuffield Scholarship and Adam’s work, visit the Nuffield Australia website.
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