Image by Rachel Claire from Pexels.
Rozzie O'Reilly says she rarely finds encounters with change daunting, a quality she attributes developing during her time at UNE.
"I studied quite a broad degree, which exposed me to numerous aspects of the ag industry. I think the biggest skill I took out of studying at UNE was the ability to research and find answers. Regardless of the size of the changes I've encountered in my career, my ability to problem solve and find answers has always been a saving grace," she says.
Rozzie is a former Duval College student, Horizon's Scholarship recipient, and UNE alumna. Having grown up on a sheep and cattle enterprise in the picturesque Riverina area of Southern NSW, Rozzie O'Reilly knew from a young age she wanted to pursue her passion for agriculture and livestock. For Rozzie, the decision to study at UNE was a no-brainer.
"A number of people recommended UNE as a great university for studying Ag degrees, with first class lecturers, relevant industry bodies on campus - such as MLA - and for the great college experience it offers," she says.
She enrolled in a Bachelor of Animal Science in 2011, majoring in livestock production. "My motivation to study this course came from my passion for livestock and drive to forge a career in this industry.” Her hard work paid off with First Class Honours in the field of sheep genetics.
UNE Alumna Rozzie O'Reilly (image supplied)
From UNE, she progressed to a trainee manager's role at Kerwee Lot Feeders on the Darling Downs, which exposed her to all facets of the business and provided her with the foundation of knowledge she needed for her next career progression.
"After 2 years with Kerwee, I was approached by LAMBPRO to become their breeding manager. I jumped at this opportunity, and have been working at LAMBPRO ever since." LAMBPRO is Australia's largest prime lamb seedstock business, producing both maternal and terminal genetics.
There, she co-ordinates a team of five, manages the LAMBPRO seedstock database, as well as stake-holder relationships with off-farm contractors, such as university researchers, shearers, pregnancy and muscle scanners.
"The client base consists of approximately 300 lamb producing businesses spread across four Australian states. So far in 2021, LAMBPRO have joined approximately 7000 performance recorded ewes, and will tag just under 10,000 lambs at birth." In 2021, LAMBPRO’s client base is projected to produce over 1 million lambs.
When Rozzie received the 2021 Zanda McDonald Award earlier this year, she was excited and shocked, describing it as "an extremely humbling experience to be recognised by your industry". The prestigious annual award recognises and supports talented young professionals from Australia or New Zealand working in agriculture. For Rozzie, "being exposed to members of the Platinum Primary Producers (PPP) group is an incredible opportunity" and she hopes will be able to learn "from Australia and New Zealand's leaders in the agribusiness sector".
Networking has always been important to Rozzie, and she has a deep appreciation for the benefits a strong industry network can provide. "I represented UNE at the Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) program in 2012, and co-coached the UNE team in 2013 & 2014, which exposed me to a huge network of people in the red meat industry. This made the transition from study at UNE to employment quite easy," she says.
Rozzie says what she really wants to do is “give back to the industry which has given me so much already. If I can do that, I’d be happy”. For the last 7 years, Rozzie has been a voluntary Australian ICMJ organising committee member, working as Careers Expo coordinator, which has seen upwards of 750 graduates exposed to careers in the red meat industry.
When asked about her advice for young graduates, Rozzie has three pieces to offer: "Don’t be afraid of getting your hands dirty and asking questions; take on every opportunity that presents itself; and listen - you will learn something from everyone you encounter.”
