Three emerging agricultural leaders have been recognised during the Royal Melbourne Show.
Melissa Neal, Emma Germano and Grace Calder won the 2016 Emerging Leaders in Victorian Agriculture award presented by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV).
It celebrates industry participants, under 40 years old, who have kicked goals in one of more areas of professional, industry and community contribution, as well as demonstrated leadership qualities.
This year’s recipients received a share of a $20,000 prize pool, including a cash bursary to go towards their career development and access to professional development activities through the support of RASV.
Melissa is the quality assurance and supply chain manager at AK Ben Pekuah meats, producers of quality beef and lamb for the Jewish Kosher market.
Involved in agricultural shows from the age of 14, Melissa has held roles including conducting the Royal Melbourne Show Beef Carcase Competition for the past seven years and is an active member of the RASV beef committee.
She has also advised the Agriculture Minister through briefings and cabinet submissions, as well as development of regulatory frameworks for intensive animal industries and project investment within the dairy branch at DPI. She was named Rural Ambassador in 2014.
Emma Germano is the general manager of I Love Farms, vice president of the VFF Horticulture Division, an executive committee member of Ausveg Victoria and secretary for Nuffield Australia’s Victorian branch.
Since taking over the family business, Emma has started an exporting arm of the business. In 2014 Emma was awarded the Nuffield scholarship and was recently announced as the recipient of the Women in Horticulture award for Victoria.
With no agricultural background, Grace Calder found interest in the industry through her school agriculture program and by the time she completed her secondary education she had started her own Corriedale Sheep stud.
She now holds a double bachelor of ag science and business and led the inaugural La Trobe University teams to the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition and National Merino Challenge.
At just 23 years of age, Grace is now a lamb industry development officer, with Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, is co-chair of the Victorian Agricultural Shows Next Generation Committee, member of the VFF YAPS Committee, and member of the Rural Finance Scholarship Alumni committee.
