MIKAELA Baker is possibly the best young advocate for the agricultural sector you could find.
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The third-year Charles Sturt University Student grew up in Mansfield, Victoria and now studies in Wagga.
She knows the vital statistics about employment and opportunities available in the primary industries sector.
"There are so many more opportunities available other than just working on a farm," she said.
"There are eight jobs (available) for each agriculture science graduate."
Miss Baker's decision to follow an educational path in primary industries wasn't a typical one.
She didn't grow up on a farm but credits her high school agribusiness teacher, Julie Aldous, from Mansfield Secondary College for sparking her rural interests.
"If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have realised there there were so many options in agriculture," she said.
Mrs Aldous won the 2014 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) rural women's award.
Miss Baker is also a recipient of a Horizon Scholarship. The scholarship carries on for the duration of the degree.
She said the valuable part of the award was the support and work experienced involved.
One of the industry sponsors is the RIRDC chicken meat program. Miss Baker has worked at Baiada in Sydney in the animal nutrition sector.
Animal nutrition is one of the areas Miss Baker is interested in gaining further knowledge. She is also enthusiastic about possibly working in the dairy sector as a nutritionist.
