Rising star of the wool industry Kate Methven says advice she received about making a go of it in the agriculture world still rings true today as she continues to build a career as one of the important up-and-comers in the industry.
"When I started getting involved in agriculture at high school, someone said to me that the three things you need to do in order to get somewhere in the ag world are education, experience and networking," Elders wool technical support officer Ms Methven said.
"All these things can be quite terrifying when you are young, but they are so important."
Growing up on the Mornington Peninsula, Ms Methven became involved with the sheep and wool industry through ag programs at the Flinders Community Christian College at Tyabb.
She was introduced to the Corriedale breed society, created her own stud and was active in showing her sheep.
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This passion grew as she attended The University of Melbourne and spent 2.5 years at the Dookie campus while completing certificates in wool classing and a Bachelor of Agriculture.
After university, she dived into the wool industry, gaining on-farm experience at a superfine/ultrafine sheep enterprise near Kyneton before her appointment with Elders 18 months ago.
"The Elders team here at the wool stores are very supportive of my goals and are always willing to back me in with what I want to do and any training needed," Ms Methven said.
This role also introduced Ms Methven to the world of wool auctioneering which she said was a clear career highlight to date.
"Auctioneering is great, it's an area of continued improvement for me and I love it," she said.
Ms Methven said she was grateful for the support given to her and other young people in the industry to help them develop the required skills.
Her progression in the wool industry is set to continue as her upcoming posting to Elders Hamilton is confirmed in a dual role of wool manager in the western district and a technical role with the wool stores.
She said the move would build towards her next goals of becoming a successful wool manager and supporting clients to get the most out of their wool clips and enterprises.
"If you want to develop and get well-rounded experience, you need to be prepared to travel a little," she said.
"I really like it here at the wool stores, but I am also very excited about what the future will hold in Hamilton."
Ms Methven said the advice to focus on education, experience and networking has held her in good stead and would recommend it to anyone starting out in a career in agriculture.