James Scott

G'day,

My name is James Scott, a 6th generation farmer from Nannup, in the southwest of Western Australia. We operate a 425 hectare farm that is focused on Orcharding and beef cattle production. We currently have 20 hectares of orchard, consisting of Stone Fruit (Nectarines, Peaches, Plums and Apricots) as well as pome fruit (Apples, Pears and Nashi). Our cattle farm consists of 220 head of F1 Angus breeders currently, with scope to expanding the operation. I currently fit in as a crew leader within the orchard, as well as spending plenty of time working with the cattle. I also am now working in the agronomic sector as a soil testing technician, consisting of both paddock testing and laboratory work. 

The Diploma I have done through Ruralbiz fit into my schedule and our operation perfectly, as it allows for busy operating seasons (In my case, hay season and then stonefruit picking), giving the flexibility of being able to keep farming as well as study. Practically, the diploma has also been fantastic, as you are always producing material and ideas relevant to your operation, making the actual material constituting the diploma extremely valuable. As an example, the final assessment I undertook in the beef production unit is in the process of being applied on our farm. 

I would encourage anyone to consider the diploma as an addition to their education and personal development as it has proved to be an extremely valuable asset to both myself and our business.