Hard work and passion pay off for Emma Ayliffe

Published 20 September 2021

A business, an app, a Master’s degree and a farm: for Emma Ayliffe, life couldn’t be busier. To top it off, this year Emma was named the 2020 Australian Young Farmer of the Year, which was postponed due to COVID. Surprised and honoured, she says it’s an opportunity for her to “represent the central west, what we're doing, and the next generation in agriculture”.

After completing her undergraduate degree in 2013, Emma took on a full-time role as a cotton agronomist in Lake Cargelligo, in Western NSW. Having grown up on sheep stations in Coober Pedy, South Australia, Emma was no stranger to agriculture. But, when it came to cotton, she says she had “zero experience”.

With some strong encouragement from her boss, in 2014, Emma enrolled at UNE in a Graduate Certificate in Agriculture (Cotton Production) to fill in the gaps. She says the new job was keeping her very busy, so she was initially reluctant.

“I hadn't even considered further study, to be honest. My boss at the time said that this grad cert in cotton production at UNE was one of the best that you could get. After talking to some people who had studied it previously and gave it good reviews, I looked into the course. It looked like a great all-rounder for understanding the crop so I enrolled.

“I enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue on with a Master’s degree, seeing as what I’d done already would count towards it.”

With the support of UNE’s Dr Oliver Knox, Emma began her thesis. Alongside her part-time study and full-time workload, she also decided to change career paths. In 2016, Emma and fellow UNE alumni Heath McWhirter co-launched their agronomy business, Summit Ag. Realising she lacked the time to complete the thesis component, she tweaked the course.

“I didn't have the capacity to do the study that I wanted to do, so I picked up a heap of coursework to complete my degree. This flexibility allowed me to create a degree that fitted where I was in my career. I was able to mould it around what I needed at the time.”

Like many students, Emma found it challenging to balance work, life and study.

“I quit my job and started my own company, and then I bought a farm. I was running my business full-time and trying to be the consultant, accountant, everything – all while studying.

“I've done other post-grad study through other universities, and I reckon UNE’s got some of the best online facilities in terms of how they set up and run their courses. Many of the lecturers we worked with were highly involved in the industry, so they really understood the ebbs and flows in my workload. They were very accommodating and supportive. I had a really good experience.”

In 2019, Emma graduated with her Master of Science in Agriculture (by coursework) and could immediately apply what she’d learned to her business.

“I look at university as a tool that teaches you how to learn. You walk out with the ability to decipher information and the beginning of a network of people to lean on, and to support you as you learn once your feet hit the ground.”

Although aware of her nomination for the Australian Young Farmer of the Year award, Emma thought nothing more about it until she got the call that she had won and was thrilled to receive the news.

Receiving the award has opened many doors. “Again, it's about building that network, building a business brand, a personal brand and shining a light on the things that I'm passionate about”.

Emma plans to throw herself into the opportunity, which she says is “only as good as you make it”. Advocating for her industry, bridging the country-city divide, and building an understanding between people in the industry and those who are not is at the top of her list.

Emma has some sage advice for those considering a challenge such as starting a business or undertaking further study. “Sometimes you have to stop overthinking it and just jump in.”