Woman in agriculture who embraces rural lifestyle. Community leader committed to building strong rural community for future generations.
I feel very privileged to be one of 12 amazing women from a vast range of agricultural industries chosen to participate in the 2024 Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program hosted by the National Farmers Federation. The NFF’s Roadmap, Australian Agriculture’s Plan for a $100 Billion Industry, includes the vision of doubling the number of women in agriculture leadership positions by 2030. An incredible group of women from across Australia came together in Canberra to share their experiences and leadership goals of enacting positive change and progress their communities. NFF House was abuzz as members of the 2024 DiALP gathered to learn more about wellbeing, personality profiling, personal branding, media training and professional networking. A must for any good program, especially in a place a cold as Canberra, is learning to knit a woollen blanket! We were in awe as we listened to the personal story of the amazingly resilient Samantha Longmore, ‘a chick in a chair’, who had us doing the macarena and shaking it off like Taylor Swift as she taught us to knit a blanket using our body! The personal highlight of the retreat was meeting my mentor, Sarah Corcoran, Chief Executive Officer at Plant Health Australia. Sarah, who began her career as an entomologist, is recognised as an ambassador for science and innovation and has received rewards for her contribution to biosecurity. Sarah fully understands the challenges we face on farm and at an industry level around Tropical Race 4 Panama Disease, and diseases that threaten the sugarcane industry. I am looking forward to the next four months which will see Sarah mentoring me to work towards my goals of empowering women in agriculture across the Cassowary Coast and engaging with local schools to raise the profile of agricultural career opportunities in the region. My personal thanks goes to NFF staff Rebecca (Bec) Wilde, Steffie Vaiphei and Stacey Davidson for organising a fabulous program that culminated with a visit to parliament house where our group heard amazing stories leadership journeys from many of Australia’s political leaders. Women in our communities contribute greatly to their businesses and industries and often accidently fall into leadership roles. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to participate in the 2024 Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program, and fully encourage women across the broad range of agricultural sectors present within our community to take advantage of the wonderful personal and professional development opportunity that programs such as this offer. A big thank you to Australian Banana Growers Council CEO Leanne Erakovic, and Senior Agronomist Anita Davina for their inspiration and encouragement with my DiALP application! Angela Hammond Amanda McClaren Jennifer Brown Kelly Nankivell Lauren Langfield Ming Fung Chua Meredith King Madie Hamilton Sarah Stevens Wendy Hick Becky Dickinson