General News
24 June, 2026
New GM backs agriculture students
Longerenong Agricultural College’s new general manager, Denise McLellan, wants to attract more students from diverse backgrounds and show young people that they do not need to grow up on a farm to build a successful career in agriculture.
Ms McLellan began as acting general manager in February and secured the permanent position in late May this year.
She expressed enthusiasm for leading the college and supporting the next generation of agricultural professionals.
“It’s a great opportunity. I haven’t been out to Longerenong College for many years, and you forget how much is going on out here,” Ms McLellan said.
“There are lots of exciting things happening.”
Ms McLellan has worked in farming and agriculture for more than 25 years.
Her career has included production, agronomy, workforce development, agricultural marketing and communications, workplace safety, and staff management.
Before joining Longerenong, she ran her own consultancy, assisting agricultural businesses with employee management and workplace safety.
She also served on the Victorian Farmers Federation’s workforce and social infrastructure committee and the National Farmers’ Federation’s workforce committee.
Ms McLellan said her passion for encouraging young people to pursue agricultural careers attracted her to the position.
“You don’t have to be from the country or be from a farm to be a key player in agriculture,” she said.
The college traditionally attracted students from the Wimmera and surrounding districts, but Ms McLellan said it now enrolled students from South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.
She wants to promote Longerenong more widely as an alternative for school leavers who may not want to attend university immediately or take a gap year.
“There are lots of opportunities for young kids these days,” she said.
“You might not be ready to go to uni, or you might not want to do a gap year.
“This is another opportunity.”
Ms McLellan plans to strengthen the college’s relationships with agricultural businesses, community organisations and industry partners during her first year.
She said Longerenong already participated in farm trials, research projects and industry collaborations, but many people remained unaware of the scale of that work.
“I’d like to enhance our profile with the industry, like this is who we are, and this is what we’re doing,” she said.
“We have a real opportunity to strengthen how we’re telling our story and make it even more compelling.”
Ms McLellan also wants Longerenong to become a leading destination for agricultural education, technology and innovation.
“I’d like to see us as being a go-to in industry in terms of innovation and technology, what we do on our farm and how we teach our students,” she said.
She said further investment in student infrastructure and training facilities would strengthen practical learning at the college.
“The learning here is a combination of skills-based, hands-on learning and then learning in a classroom,” she said.
Ms McLellan said the range of activities at the campus had surprised her since she took over the role.
The college operates cattle, sheep and cropping enterprises and hosts agricultural trials, plant-breeding programs, conferences, training organisations and several commercial tenants.
She described the campus as “a hub for the community and a hub for agriculture.”
Ms McLellan encouraged school students to look beyond traditional ideas about farming when considering their careers.
“Anything you want to do, you can do in agriculture,” she said.
“The opportunities are endless, and so my message is: give it a try, and you’ll be surprised.”
Ms McLellan also invited Horsham residents, businesses and community groups to visit the campus, learn about its facilities and explore potential partnerships to support students and the wider agricultural sector.