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Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor presented awards to the top academic achievers in selected study programmes.
Two Lincoln graduates also attended to take part in a panel discussion about the challenges and opportunities in the sector.
The event, conceived by Lincoln University PhD student Laura Keenan, was more than 18 months in the making, having been postponed several times due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Industry attendees came from organisations including Fonterra, Farmlands, AgResearch, Ravensdown, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd, Horticulture New Zealand, PGG Wrightson, DairyNZ and ANZCO Foods Limited.
Lincoln University vice-chancellor Professor Grant Edwards said it was exciting to have the chance to recognise student achievements and partner with industry to facilitate meaningful connections.
“This event was a wonderful way to showcase potential career opportunities to our students and introduce employers to some of our best and brightest future industry leaders,” he says.
Edwards says the university was proud to acknowledge the academic success of its top performing students.
The evening began with a networking hour, followed by messages from Edwards and O’Connor, and a Q&A session with Lincoln graduates, Kate MacDonald and Jake Jarman.
A fifth-generation farmer at Davaar Station, Macdonald completed her Bachelor of Agribusiness and Food Marketing at Lincoln in 2017 and has gone on to found Davaar & Co, a luxury farm-to-fashion brand.
The business uses crossbred sheep wool grown exclusively at Davaar Station to produce and manufacture woollen jerseys, with the entire production process completed in New Zealand. Sustainable and ethical practices are at the core of the brand, which Kate runs full time as its Creative Director.
Jarman was born and bred in Taranaki on his family’s dairy farm, completing his Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) at Lincoln in 2018 and winning the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition in 2021. He now works for ANZ, recently moving into an Agri Relationship Manager role after spending the past 18 months as an Agri Relationship Associate.
The panel discussion was followed by a dinner, sponsored by Silver Fern Farms, and students were seated with industry representatives of their choice. Rossendale Wines provided sponsorship of the wine that was served throughout the evening.
The event ended with an awards ceremony to recognise the highest-achieving second and third-year students studying towards degrees in the food and fibre areas.
Bachelor of Agribusiness and Food Marketing student and Lincoln University Future Leader Scholar, Sasha van Beek, described the event as “fantastic”.
“Not only did we get a chance to celebrate the hard work of our friends and classmates, but we had a unique opportunity to talk in-depth with industry individuals we would never have met otherwise,” she said. “The advice and insights they gave were amazing to hear.
“These conversations and networking opportunities have led to many of my friends and myself securing immersion experience days, where we will follow specific company employees around for a day and gain a better understanding of what their company is about.”
