Future’s bright for Andrew Gray

Echunga’s Andrew Gray has received a further agriculture scholarship that will help progress his steadily growing career, having been named as a winner in the 2020 AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship line-up.

In recognition of his leadership potential and commitment to the future of Australian agriculture, the University of New England student was also awarded one of 14 AgriFutures Horizon Scholarships in 2018.

Sponsored by AgriFutures Australia, Mr Gray will receive $10,000 over two years to further assist with his studies and living expenses, while gaining access to professional development workshops and work placements.

Mr Gray said he relocated to Armidale in NSW 2018 to study a double Bachelor of Agriculture and Bachelor of Business, and that his ultimate goal was to own and operate a multi-enterprise agricultural business.

Through breeding and purchases, Mr Gray’s Long Gully Ayrshire stud now operates with cattle on farms primarily in the Adelaide Hills. The young stock are run on his parents’ property, while Mr Gray’s milking cows are housed at dairies owned by friends and past employers.

Mr Gray said over the past two years as an AgriFutures Horizon scholar he had been growing his industry contacts and working with some of the best in the business.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to partake in two week work placement at Australian leading Moxey Farms, and further work placement with Saputo Dairy Australia at their Melbourne headquarters looking at the processor’s side of the dairy industry” and ,” he said. “It opened my eyes to the stresses that the drought had had on the milk processors, as they experienced a twenty year low in milk supply,”.

Cattle judging has also been a big part of Andrews experiences over the past two years – After participating at the 2018 NSW All Breeds Dairy Judging School hosted by Holstein Australia, Andrew was nominated for the National Ayrshire and Holstein judging Panels.

This opened up many valuable opportunities to officiate at half a dozen country shows in Mid North Coast NSW and South East Queensland. As well as officiating the 2019 NSW state brown swiss On-Farm-Challenge.

In September 2019 Andrew won the South Australian Junior dairy Judging Competition while attending the Royal Adelaide Show - Andrew headed to Perth, representing SA in the ASA National Young Dairy Judges Championship and was awarded the National Champion Young Dairy Judge.

“I feel very privileged to be recognized as a 2020 AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship recipient and I am excited to meet current scholars and the extensive network of AgriFutures Horizon Alumni who are making big waves in Australian agriculture. I hope to use the valuable opportunity offered by AgriFutures Horizon to travel and partake industry placements that will help develop my own industry networks and build a more rounded knowledge of industry supply chains, beyond the farm gate.”