CQUni Ag alumnus Georgia makes monumental discovery in fight against fall armyworm

When CQUniversity Agriculture alumnus Georgia Rodgers completed her degree and found employment as a graduate agronomist with Elders she never expected to make a significant discovery while on the job in a field in Beaudesert.

Recently' while working on a property as part of a team dealing with the fall armyworm' Georgia discovered a fungus that could very well help combat the pest in Australia.

"Finding the fungus was a massive achievement for me so far. Although there is still a lot of research to go into the impact it will have on fall armyworm' it was a step in the right direction'" Georgia said.

"Fall armyworm is hard to identify so with help from the Elders network' agronomists are using GoMicro to take pictures of the pest to help identify them.

"As for the fungus' Brendan and I collected samples and sent them to the appropriate people and I believe they have had success in the lab' but I am not aware of what success they've had in the field.

"Throughout my life I have achieved many milestones' but yes this is a very big achievement for me in my chosen career and hopefully it will be just one of many."

She said the discovery was just the scenario she hoped for when she first decided she wanted to study Agriculture.

"I chose to study at CQUni because of the diversity (of the job) that it provided; having the ability to put our studies into a real-world situation'" she said.

"My degree helped me prepare for my job by providing me with a wide knowledge of the industry.

"Undertaking work placement with Elders was the biggest preparation for my job as it allowed me to see what it takes to be an agronomist and how quick you need to be on your toes as there is always something different."

Georgia undertook placement with Elders in her final two years of study and ultimately was accepted into its graduate program' firstly working in Toowoomba before returning to Beaudesert.

"My career goals are to be the most effective and efficient agronomist that I can possibly be' to provide the insight and assistance that producers require'" she said.

"People should study Ag at CQUni because of the freedom you have to learn' how hands-on the courses are and the support you receive from your classmates' which really makes it worth it.

"The degree helped me find what I was truly interested in. The course allowed me to pick from three different minors: cropping' livestock and business. The diversity this course allowed was great. The ability to choose 2 out of three was important to me and that is why I chose the degree.

"Anyone who does the degree should work hard for what they want and don't ever think that they aren't good enough.

"All I can say is good things come to those who wait."