Meet Jessie Armstrong: the Groundbreaker focused on agriculture, its people and the environment

Presented as a Q&A, this conversation explores Jessie’s regional upbringing, passion for drought innovation, and how she hopes to use the evoke^AG. Groundbreaker program to strengthen people, culture and sustainability in agriculture.

Can you share your background and what drives your passion for agriculture? 

I grew up on a sheep and cattle station, on the plains north-west of Hay in western New South Wales. 

Primary school was by distance education, and I grew up doing my schoolwork alongside whatever was happening on the farm, practicing spelling lists on the wool bales at shearing time and learning to count by watching sheep in the yards.  

Being involved in agriculture is a non-negotiable but being the youngest, and a daughter of a farming family I feel like much of my adult life has been navigating what my place is in the industry. Over the past five years I’ve worked in rural merchandise, fertiliser imports, pest and disease monitoring, and agricultural extension.  

That’s given me a huge appreciation for diversity within the sector but also great insight into workplace culture and what leads people to feel inspired to do well in their work. I think that’s what makes me so passionate about understanding the different opportunities and pathways available and the desire to make sure that agriculture is an engaging sector for people to work in. 

Currently, I am managing the Country University Centre at Hay and as someone who has experienced distance education, I feel strongly that people should have access to resources to get the right education to upskill or reskill for whatever careers and pathways they want to take. 

You’ve been working in extension focused on drought innovation, why is that something you were drawn to? 

I was born in the middle of the Millennium drought, so growing up during that time and then seeing the shifting climate that we’re now experiencing has inspired my work in that drought innovation space. 

I’m studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Batchelor of Environmental Science because I see bridging that gap between natural resource management, the environment, and agricultural production as being critical in supporting our industry going forward.  

The other part of the picture of course is the people. Sitting in the front row at evokeAG. 2024, listening to Cathy McGowan challenge the audience to look at how we can make a difference in ‘our circles of influence’ I decided to set up my own business Agrishift Services, with the aim of connecting agriculture and empowering people in my patch of south-western NSW. 

What impact do you hope that your work can have? 

The aim is to work with wool and red meat producers around sustainable agriculture, working together to find ways to implement purpose-fit innovation. 

Innovation isn’t just technology, it’s also how we train and manage people. I’m working on some mentoring programs for young people in agriculture, as well as opportunities to support farm managers to be better team leaders. I think that if we can empower capacity building in those areas it will help retain people in on-farm roles. 

What are you hoping to get out of the evokeAG. Groundbreaker program? 

The other evokeAG. Groundbreakers are doing such incredible things in industries and parts of the country that are very different, so one of the highlights will be getting to know my peers and having this shared experience. 

I’m also looking forward to conversations with other organisations to hear about what works, and what doesn’t in their businesses. I am keen to find out how they are tackling things around workforce culture, labour and sustainability, what they are prioritising, and how are they assessing risk.  If that leads to future projects or opportunities to collaborate, well that’s a bonus.