When Stephanie Bullen first walks veterinary students from Melbourne, around muddy Gippsland pastures in Victoria’s south east, to inspect dairy herds, she knows most of their thoughts are still fixed on careers as inner-city vets.
By the end of their week with her though, she’s confident at least a few of their attitudes towards agriculture and rural life will shift.
“A lot of them don’t come from rural backgrounds.
«At the start of the week I usually ask them what their career aspirations are and it’s funny, a lot of them are interested in small animal practice in the city,” said Ms Bullen.
“But I hope by having them here in Maffra and showing them that dairy practice is a really rewarding and enjoyable career, if there are a couple of them that are more interested in dairy practice, then I see myself as having done the job.
“We do get some amazing feedback from the students on just how much they enjoyed their placement.
“A lot of the comments are, ‘I never saw myself with a career in rural Australia, let alone the dairy industry’ and now they’re actually thinking of it as a possibility for them in the future, so that’s pretty exciting.”
Beaming with a radiant sense of enthusiasm for dairy research and rural life, it seems easy enough for Stephanie to spruik her current profession.
In addition to her work as a clinical resident veterinarian, specialising in dairy, based at Maffra, she is also in the latter part of completing her Masters of Veterinary Science and Masters of Veterinary Studies at Melbourne University.
She might not come from a dairy background, nor did she grow in Gippsland, but both now occupy a central part of her life.
“It was only really through my studies at Uni that I really got interested in the dairy industry, and here I am.”
Her research has seen her focus on drench resistance in heifers on dairy farms in Gippsland’s Macallister Irrigation District and while still some way from completion, she says the project is already garnering the attention of the local dairy industry.
“It’s drumming up a lot of interest, it’s really exciting.
“Although we’re using heifers for the actual research, it applies to the whole herd as well, so … if we find there is resistance, it’s applicable to the milkers as well.
“It’s exciting, and I’m finding some results that will hopefully be useful for farmers in the area.”
It’s the type of research, career and lifestyle that she has every chance of continuing to pursue for years to come.
“That’s where I see my career in the long-term.
“I’m here for good!”
Source: ABC