Students Stand with the Land at CQU Ag Day
CQUniversity is celebrating National Agriculture Day with its largest ever two-day interactive event, welcoming more than 700 primary and secondary students to the Central Queensland Innovation Research Precinct (CQIRP) to explore the future of food, farming and agricultural science.
Held on Thursday and Friday to coincide with National Ag Day (21 November), the event reflects this year’s theme, Stand with the Land, by giving students a firsthand look at the science, technology and people that drive Australia’s agriculture industry.
CQUniversity Agriculture Senior Lecturer Dr Jaime Manning said the event had grown significantly in recent years, with record participation and high levels of engagement from schools across Central Queensland.
“This is the biggest National Ag Day event we’ve ever hosted and it’s incredibly rewarding to see students immersing themselves in everything agriculture has to offer,” Dr Manning said.
“Agriculture today is diverse, high-tech and full of opportunity.
“Many young people still think a career in ag means hands-on farming only but the reality is far broader.
“From coding and robotics, environmental testing and artificial intelligence, students are experiencing the real science behind producing food and fibre.”
More than 400 primary school students from 11 schools took part in Thursday’s program, rotating through nine hands-on stations designed to spark curiosity and build foundational knowledge about food production and sustainability.
Activities included building native bee houses, testing water quality, learning about parasites, navigating and coding robots, exploring fruit ripeness, busting agriculture myths, and discovering the energy science behind food production.
Schools travelled in from communities including Duaringa, Bluff, The Caves, Milman, Gracemere, Port Curtis, Frenchville, Cawarral, Rockhampton and everywhere in between with the the Capricornia School of Distance Education also in attendance.
Dr Manning said the experience broadened students’ horizons and gave a taste of ag to our young minds.
“Many students have never been exposed to hands-on agricultural science and they were so excited to take home their seedlings and talk about what they learned,” Dr Manning said.
Today, secondary students are stepping into a more advanced program focused on career pathways and next-generation agricultural innovation and research. The rotations include meat grading demonstrations, artificial intelligence and machine learning, water quality labs, a history and future of food seminar and food science.
Dr Manning said the secondary day was crucial in showing how broad and future-focused the industry has become.
“By giving students access to real tools, real data and real researchers, we’re helping them see themselves in these future roles. It builds long-term interest and confidence in the industry.
“Events like this spark connections that last well beyond the day.
“All students are future consumers, and regardless of their career pathways it’s a huge win for Australian agriculture when people know where their food comes from.”
Explore primary industries pathways at CQUniversity's Science, Environment and Agriculture website.
