Felicity Brumpton with her reserve champion medium Poll Merino ram at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

MITCHELL Merino stud breeder Felicity Brumpton has had a good day at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

On the same day two rams from her Jolly Jumbuck Poll Merino Stud were sashed medium and fine wool reserve champions, AgForce announced she was the winner of the $5000 Gus McGown bursary.

“We’ve done pretty well with the polls – I beat Dad; I got more ribbons than him.

“He didn’t win any broad ribbons this time,” she said.

Felicity is the daughter of Mt Ascot Merino stud principals Nigel and Rosemary Brumpton at Mitchell in Queensland.

AgForce said Felicity, 21, has spent her life promoting Merino sheep around the country at numerous agricultural shows and won the National Merino Sheep Junior Judging Competition for Queensland in 2014.

She is co-principal of the Jolly Jumbuck stud with her brothers Charlie, 19, who won the national Merino junior judging competition in 2015, and Lachie, 17, who won it last year. The Jolly Jumbuck stud also won Queensland Ram of the Year in 2011.

AgForce general president Grant Maudsley said Miss Brumpton, from the property ‘Baynham’ near Mitchell, was chosen because of her commitment to the future of Queensland agriculture.

“Felicity is currently in her third year of studying a Bachelor of Animal Science at the University of New England,” Mr Maudsley said.

“I hope this helps her further her career in agriculture, while also giving us all a chance to remember Gus McGown, one of Queensland’s finest graziers.”

Felicity said she was pretty excited and honoured to be awarded the bursary as she was passionate about Australian agriculture, particularly the grazing sector and the bright future it offered.

“I look forward to using all provided opportunities to attend and become a member of many industry events associated with AgForce to assist them in promoting our agricultural industries like Gus McGown did,” she said.

“My ambitions are to be able to offer producers an opportunity to enhance the genetic potential of livestock together with improved nutritional benefits, whilst being able to run my own livestock operation.

“I would like to use my university degree, scientific technology, and real life experience to become a leader in the agricultural industry to produce sustainable and highly productive livestock to improve property viability,” she said.

“In doing so, I would also like to encourage people to stay or go into a Merino enterprise in Queensland to ensure the survival of our sheep industry.

“As agriculture has been a big part of my life, I would like to give back to it and encourage or mentor the younger generation into this vibrant industry,” Felicity said.

“And like AgForce, I would like to fight for the bush to ensure our agricultural industry remains sustainable.”

Felicity said the $5000 bursary would help her get through university. The main bursary opportunity was the four-week AgForce internship, she said. This would give her exposure to agri-political advocacy across the three AgForce commodities, communications, projects teams and school-to-industry partnerships program.

The bursary is named after long-time AgForce member and sheep grazier Gus McGown and rewards one student with links to AgForce’s southern inland Queensland region with funding towards tuition fees for an accredited qualification, undergraduate study or post graduate levels within Australia. The bursary is sponsored by the Maranoa Graziers Trust and administered by AgForce.

Source: AgForce.