AgCAREERSTART alumni Alex Ho is now a ringer at Barkly Downs Station, northwest Queensland.
As a young child, Alex Ho was always fascinated with the animals in the Ekka petting zoo, but he didn't for one minute think he would one day end up in agriculture. The defence force had been Plan A, but when that didn't work, agriculture came along as Plan B halfway through year 12.
Without any rural connections, Alex was seemingly at a dead end when it came to getting a foot in the door in the agricultural industry. But his ears pricked up upon hearing about the national ag gap year program AgCAREERSTART, and he signed up immediately. Before he knew it, he was southbound, having accepted a placement on a sheep and cropping farm in Cummins, South Australia. He stayed there for a year learning the proverbial ropes and then scored a gig as a ringer on Barkly Downs Station at the start of 2024.
Alex is still relatively new to agriculture, and at this early stage, he is happy to take things one year at a time, letting himself become interested in different aspects of agriculture. He is toying with the idea of studying agribusiness in the future and going into an analyst role for an agricultural organisation. Still, he is equally enthused by the idea of working towards becoming a stock and station manager down the track. Regardless of what takes shape, Alex remains certain of one thing - that agriculture is his future.
