LONGERENONG College has found its new general manager, with Canada-born Avril Hogan stepping into the leadership role.
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Ms Hogan comes to the job with more than 20 years of experience in teaching, business and agriculture.
Originally from the wheat belt city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Ms Hogan met and married a Wimmera farmer while visiting Australia for the 2005 Wimmera Machinery Field Days.
At the time, she worked for an agricultural machinery manufacturer and was responsible for establishing distribution agreements in Australia, Europe and South America.
Ms Hogan moved to the Wimmera 16 years ago, where she diversified her skills and started her own business.
"I started a business when I moved here, as there were not a lot of international trade roles in Horsham that I was aware of at the time," she said.
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"I opened an Australian office for a Canadian company, and over time grew the client list and the number of people employed."
Her business, Insightrix, provided market research for various universities, including Monash, RMIT and Macquarie University, and agriculture organisations.
Ms Hogan taught the Advanced Diploma of Business at the University of Ballarat, now Federation University.
For the last six years, she has been working in the executive team at Emmetts, when the business purchased six other dealerships in South Australia, doubling the company's size overnight.
During her time there, Ms Hogan oversaw market and strategy and worked with the team launching new businesses such as Emmetts Irrigation and the precision agronomy business AGree.
As Longerenong's general manager she will oversee the college's operations, staff, students and future strategy.
Ms Hogan's husband attended Longerenong College, and she said she was proud to be a part of the college's proud history.
"Longerenong has an amazing history, and it has left its mark on generations of Wimmera Mallee farmers, and alumni beyond," she said.
"It is not just a school but a place for young people to come and learn about agriculture, the world and find their place in it.
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"Many leave with lifelong friends and a love of agriculture. These generations of graduates are working throughout the industry, running their own farms, working as farm workers and managers, or are industry advisors through agrifinance, agronomy, livestock or agribusiness."
Ms Hogan said education was key to building a strong local agriculture industry with an outward focus.
"Agriculture is international, we sell our product predominantly into a commodity market, meaning we are price takers not price makers," she said.
"We need to continue to be the absolute best at what we do because we are competing on a global scale. It is not enough to do what we have always done.
"Australian farmers are leaders in water use efficiency, looking at improving yields with lower inputs, soil conservation and technology adoption.
"We do not have subsidies for farmers, so every possible production efficiency needs to be harnessed to improve profitability. Education has always been a key to this."
Attracting and retaining young people in the industry was also a key focus.
"The Wimmera benefits from Longerenong by having grads fill jobs locally," she said.
"There are not enough people to fill the jobs being advertised, and that labour shortage is slowing down the industry Australia wide.
"The more people we can attract and retain in the industry, the better it will be for everyone, regional Australia in particular. In addition to the economic advantage it brings the area by having a school of this size, drawing in students from all over Australia."
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