Name: Joe
Role Title: Senior Farm Business Analyst
Location: Box Hill

Description of work undertaken:
Joe works on a financial analysis program for the dairy industry. This involves collecting, collating and analysing physical and financial data to compare the productivity and profitability of different dairy farms across Victoria. This is called benchmarking. Reports are produced every year that are available for farmers involved in the project and for staff who work for the Department of Primary Industries. These reports can also be purchased by other dairy farmers to help them make decisions on their farm.

Team and / or individual role / responsibilities:
Joe produces the templates for data collection, and manages contracts and contractors who collect the data. He then analyses the data that is returned so that it can be presented in reports.

Future:
Joe does not know! He plans to remain working in the dairy industry; however it depends on the opportunities that present themselves.

Background
Grew Up Where:
Ardmona in the Goulburn Valley.

STUDIES:
Tertiary /post secondary:
Joe completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at LaTrobe University (Bundoora) and then investigated 'Shifting calving patterns to take advantage of seasonal milk price incentives' for his Honours studies. He then competed a Masters of Agriculture at Melbourne University looking at 'Economic evaluation of dairy forage production'.

Secondary:
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English and Maths Methods.

Work experience:
Joe's work experiences have been varied. At high school he worked for the Department of Agriculture (now the Department of Primary Industries). He has worked in the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory, on dairy and cropping farms doing general farm work and labouring at an oil field in central Australia for a couple of months.

Opportunities
Learning on job, new skills, etc.
As part of the Graduate Program, with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Joe completed a wide range of training. He also has spent two years living and working in Western Australia for the Department of Agriculture and Food as an Animal Industry Economist.

Travel:
Joe travelled to Fremantle in Western Australia where he presented a paper at an agricultural economics conference. He has also travelled to Toowoomba in Queensland to attend a farming systems conference.

Advice to Students Now:
Students up to Year 10
Don't worry too much because you will probably change your mind about careers a number of times along the way. I wanted to leave school and become a farmer. My family didn’t support this and I finished VCE and went to university to be a farmer. Along the way I decided I wanted to be an animal production consultant. However, towards the end of my course I found that I was more interested in the numbers than the animals, so I shifted towards economics. Keep your options open and try to find out as much as you can about different options.

VCE students
Try things out and make sure you do the subjects you need to eg. maths if you want to be an economist. Remember that not making a decision is a decision in itself.

Tertiary students
Learn as much as you can in your area of study and interest. For example, economics involves making a lot of assumptions. I have found that having a background in agricultural systems means that I am more likely to make reasonable assumptions about economics in the dairy industry.

Other:
What careers have other graduates from your course entered?
Agronomy, banking/finance, research scientist, academia, farming, family, swim teacher, selling farm chemicals.