Women in Ag event heading to town

AUSTRALIAN Women in Agriculture will be holding their 2023 conference in Bendigo later this month. 

AWiA secretary Mikayla Keith said the event, titled Seeds to Success – Growing Together is important for bringing women in agriculture from around Australia to the same location. 

“Our conference is aimed around that inspiration,” she said “We’re also going to have a health and wellness component, and just looking after yourself. 

“Not just for women on farms, but all facets of agriculture. So, accounting, biosecurity, agronomists. 

Ms Keith said AWiA has two main purposes; to facilitate networking within the industry, and as a body through which to bring related issues to the attention of governments. 

“We get phone calls all the time from women with different issues, so we kind of act as a triaging service, or we can take it on board and see if we can help in some way,” she said. 

Seeds to Success will feature keynote speakers including Coolabah Turf founder Suzie Shearer, Think Digital CEO Kat Bidstrup, and BDO Australia partner Dylan Byrne. 

There’ll also be panel discussion featuring Nikki Davey from Grown not Flown and Ally Paterson of Tekoa Farms.  

Ms Davey is from Central Victoria and won this year’s national AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award. 

Grown not flow produces flowers and also seeks to helps small-scale growers with business and digital product development, all with a sustainable and regenerative agriculture focus. 

Strathfieldsaye’s Kimberley Furness will MC the event and was the Victorian winner of the award last year and national runner-up through her work with her publication on regional and rural women in business, OAK Magazine. 

Australian Women in Agriculture’s Seeds to Success – Growing Together event is set for the Quality Lakeside Hotel, with a gala dinner on Friday 24 November from 5pm to 9pm, followed by the conference on Saturday 25 November from 9.30am to 2pm. 

Tickets to AWiA’s 2023 conference can be found via bit.ly/3QIVZ3I.