Emma Hegarty with Rabobank’s Ben_Russell, the McDonald Family and Shane McManaway.

Emma Hegarty, 27 year old Beef Extension Officer with Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), has been awarded the inaugural Zanda McDonald Award for 2015.

The award, worth around $20,000, was presented last night at the ‘Beyond the Top End’ 2015 PPP Conference in Darwin, Northern Australia, by Platinum Primary Producers Chairman, and CEO of Allflex Australasia, Shane McManaway.

The prize includes:

• An expenses-paid, tailored mentoring package whereby Ms Hegarty can spend time with three-four relevant PPP members in Australia and/or New Zealand.
  A place on the 2016 Rabobank Farm Manager’s Programme.
  $1000 cash.
  Access to the 130 of Australia’s finest producers and agri-business people who make up the PPP Group.

Ms Hegarty and two other finalists – New Zealand’s Athol New, a dairy Farm Manager from Christchurch, and Luke Wright, a deer and beef Farm Manager from Te Anau – were selected for the final round of the prestigious Trans-Tasman award.

She she was humbled and overwhelmed to be the inaugural winner.

Mr McManaway said Emma was tremendously deserving and that through her work she clearly displayed Zanda-like characteristics of leadership, passion, drive, ambition and commitment to her field.

Of Mr New and Mr Wright – who were both awarded runner-up prizes which included a place on the 2016 Rabobank Farm Manager’s Programme and $500 cash – Mr McManaway said, “if this is the calibre of our young people coming through the industry, agriculture is in good hands.”

The Zanda McDonald award is a PPP initiative which aims to preserve the legacy of the late Zanda McDonald – as well as assist young agri-business people on their chosen career path.

The Platinum Primary Producers (PPP) Group is a trans-Tasman networking collective that represents some 12 million hectares (25% of land ownership) and around 20 million livestock units across Australia and New Zealand.