2017 Dairy Travel Scholarship Winner: Michaela Thompson
14/11/2017
Michaela Thompson is the recent winner of the 2017 Dairy Youth Travel Scholarship. The coveted scholarship is awarded yearly at the Royal Melbourne Show and provides the winner with a $10,000 prize.
Michaela Thompson is the recent winner of the 2017 Dairy Youth Travel Scholarship. The coveted scholarship is awarded yearly at the Royal Melbourne Show and provides the winner with a $10,000 prize.Ms Thompson is a 23-year-old who recently completed a Commerce degree from Federation University. She expressed her excitement about winning the scholarship, which she sees as recognition for all her industry achievements over the last couple years. The timing is perfect for Ms Thompson as she has just recently completed University. She also thanked her parents without whose support she couldn’t have achieved the scholarship.
Ms Thompson intends to use the money from the scholarship to travel overseas. Her travels will take her on a European dairy tour, which she is currently planning. Ms Thompson's dreams have always been to travel and see the European cows, being that they are different from the North American and Australian cows with which she is familiar.
Her travel plans have her returning in time for the June Winter Fair, before she heads out to Canada and North America in the second half of the year. She notes that she had always wanted 2018 to be a year for travelling but knew that she wouldn’t be able to afford it on her own. Now the trip is being planned thanks to the scholarship, and she couldn't be more excited about it.
Ms Thompson has always had a love for the dairy industry; she remembers the enthusiasm she had even as a little girl. She is so passionate that she owns her very own small Holstein stud. The stud is on a farm her father is managing in Rochester. As a little girl, she started showing cattle even when the cows were towering over her. However, she never allowed their size to intimidate her.
At just 14 years old she purchased her first cow and paid $6,000 – Donnybrook Talent Sheena. She spoke about how she had saved up the money from earnings she received working at a café in her hometown.
Ms Thompson plans on using her degree to bridge the gap between dairy farmers and accountants. The trip she is planning overseas should help her in getting a perspective of the worldwide dairy industry as well.
Mark O’Sullivan, the chief executive of the Royal Agriculture Society of Victoria (RASV) said the scholarship provides the opportunity for insight into the food and agriculture industries for emerging dairy leaders who otherwise would not be able to gather such insight.
RASV sees the need for recognition and development of future leaders, and they plan to promote the competition to continue this goal. They congratulate Michaela on her win of the scholarship and will be supporting her travels as she goes internationally. They look forward to providing many more young diary cattle lovers with the opportunity to make their dreams a reality.
