The award celebrates outstanding leadership and innovation throughout rural and regional Victoria, including its $13.1 billion agriculture sector.

This year's finalists are:

• Cara Hadzig, from Murra Warra, who wants to reduce farm work injuries by developing an application that provides farm safety inductions, alerts for maintenance requirements and a platform to log faults and issues around the farm;
• Melissa Connors, from Kyneton, who wants to create stronger and more engaged communities by connecting tree changers with established and retired farmers who can pass on their invaluable local knowledge to motivated newcomers;
• Jade Miles, from Stanley, who wants to share her learnings from developing a community owned regional food co-operative and build a social enterprise based model that can be rolled out in other regions.

The Victorian winner will be announced at a ceremony on 20 March 2018 at Melbourne Museum and will receive a bursary of $10,000 to implement their project vision.

Each state and territory winner will get the opportunity to attend the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) course prior to the national award ceremony in Canberra held in September.

Agriculture Victoria spokesperson Leesa Sheerin congratulated the winners and all the applicants for taking an invaluable role in shaping their communities. "The AgriFutures™ Rural Women's Award celebrates these women, their achievements, and the crucial role they are playing in rural and regional industries, businesses and communities."

In addition to the Victorian AgriFutures™ Rural Women's Award, the Victorian Government also supports a number of different initiatives which empower and support rural and regional women.

The Rural Women's Network, re-established on 1 July last year, is supporting rural women to have a more active voice in government and community decision-making. The Invisible Farmer project offers Victorian women in agriculture the chance to share their inspirational stories.

For more information about the AgriFutures™ Rural Women's Award, click here.

Source: Agriculture Victoria