AgCAREERSTART Program manager Kayla Evans. Photo credit: Wild Little Swallows Photography.
Kayla was raised on a beef and grain property on the Darling Downs, yet a career in agriculture was not on her radar while she was in school. Initially, she was on a pathway to becoming a doctor, but a gap year spent working in the Royal Australian Navy helped her refocus and realise it wasn't the best choice for her. More than a decade later, Kayla still remembers the day she called her mum and said she wouldn't be studying medicine.
Instead, Kayla studied Public Relations and Human Resources Management at Murdoch University in Western Australia, then worked in the tertiary education sector in various communications roles for a few years. In early 2018, she landed a role as Program Manager of Careers in Grain - an industry-based program initiative to attract, upskill and employ people in the Western Australia grains industry. The moment Kayla stepped back into agriculture, the lightbulb clicked on - agriculture was the industry for her.
Kayla spearheaded the Careers in Grain program for three years, growing it from a solely grains-based program to a broader food/fibre initiative housed within the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Off the back of her success running the program, Kayla was approached by the National Farmers' Federation to lead the Commonwealth-funded AgCAREERSTART program, a gap year program for youth wanting to get a practical taste of what the agriculture industry has to offer. She began in early 2022, during the program's pilot year, and has since guided 180 youth participants over three years.
Kayla's work in agriculture is not limited to her day job. She is the co-founder of Generation Ag, a podcast profiling youth within the industry. What started as a hobby podcast in 2019 has rapidly grown into a side business, with more than 250 episodes recorded to date. In 2020, Kayla won the WA Young Achiever (Agricultural) Award for her work producing the podcast. She is an MLA Red Meat Ambassador.
Having moved back to Queensland at the start of 2024, Kayla doesn't mind what the future holds as long as she continues working with farmers in some capacity. She feels lucky to be part of the agricultural industry and remains passionate about helping young people enter the industry.
