40 powerful Queensland women in farming | LIST
Cattle breeders, strawberry growers and crocodile farmers – Queensland is full of trailblazing women making big moves in the agricultural industry. Meet 40 of the most inspirational.
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Australia is not complete without its strong farming and agricultural industry, boosting billions into the economy by keeping millions of Australians well fed with quality fresh fruit and vegetables.
Battling bushfires, droughts, floods and the Covid pandemic, our farmers have had to be resilient and innovative by expanding into different products, promoting agritourism and implementing sustainable practices.
These queens of Queensland farming are paving the way for the agricultural industry as a whole.
Here’s our pick of 40 trailblazing women in Qld farming.
Linda Zunker
A fourth generation farmer, Linda Zunker is the director of Bundaberg’s Windhum Farms, a family business the Zunker family bought in 1999 that now grows and sells sweet potatoes.
Grown in red volcanic soil, Mrs Zunker and her husband Darren Zunker market their sweet produce under the brand name ‘Bundaberg Gold’, selling sweet potatoes and pumpkins all year round, changing products based on seasonal trends.
Expanding into macadamia nut production in 2018, Mrs Zunker runs the farm with Mr Zunker and their two sons, Ethan and Daniel.
Kylie Templeton
Hailing from the Sunshine Coast, Kylie Templeton is a third generation Eumundi ginger farmer and the face of family-owned business and Australia’s largest ginger producer, Templeton Ginger.
As well as being the treasurer for the Australian Ginger Association, Ms Templeton and her family produce about 2500 tonnes of ginger year-round at their Eumundi, Kybong, Kenilworth and Kandanga properties.
The Templeton family have been producing ginger since the 1940s, with Ms Templton now running sales, distribution and marketing for the family-owned business.
When they’re not growing ginger, Ms Templeton and her father teach ballroom dancing at Templeton Dance Studio, the Sunshine Coast’s longest-running premier ballroom dancing centre that has been operating for more than 35 years.
Ros Sutton
After working at a North Queensland prawn trawlers for 16 years, Ros and David Sutton bought a working orchard in 1994 and are still the owners of Sutton’s Juice Factory and Cidery in Stanthorpe, located just opposite of the Big Apple.
The family-run business has diversified into a range of different apple-based products, from apple brandy and fruit liqueur to apple cider vinegar and apple syrup, as well as Ros’s famous apple pie, which are all handmade by Mrs Sutton and sold at their cafe, served with ice cream.
The first commercial cider makers in Queensland, both Mr and Mrs Sutton won the Grand Champion Trophy for their cider at the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Cider Competition in 2012.
Keen sweet tooths can buy Sutton’s pure apple juice, farmhouse preserves and apple products on their online shop.
Bree Watson
The chief executive of Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Limited (BFVGC), Bree Watson (nee Grima) is the newly appointed chair of the Queensland Horticulture Council and has a strong passion for the agricultural industry after a childhood growing up in a farming family in Bundaberg.
With three Bachelor degrees under her belt in Photography, Environmental Science and Science (Honours), Ms Watson has worked in a number of leadership and industry roles, serving on the committee of Regional Development Australia Wide Bay Burnett, Regional Business HQ Bundaberg and more.
Through her time at BFVGC, Ms Watson conducted research into sustainable agriculture, learning about local growers and technology used around Bundaberg and Wide Bay Burnett agricultural regions to help identify and solve the issues most important for growing quality produce.
Outside of her career advocating for regional Queensland, Ms Watson is an elite athlete, competing in bodybuilding competitions that saw her qualify for the Commonwealth Classic in Brisbane in 2018.
Mandy Evans
Moving to the South Burnett in 2006, Mandy Evans runs Bunya Red Farm at Inverlaw with her husband Allan Evans, growing the unique crop of capers on their 160-acre farm.
Grown in Kingaroy red dirt, the premium Mediterranean-style capers were state finalists in the Delicious Produce Awards, sponsored by Harvey Norman, in 2018, 2019 and 2021, as well as bronze, silver and gold medallists in the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show for multiple years in a row.
Raised on a cropping farm, Mrs Evans pursued a career outside of farming until she saw a program about capers which convinced her to go back to her farming roots, growing and selling capers which are sold in salt, brine and vinegar to chefs, restaurants and the public.
Queensland made, the capers are hand-picked, washed and salted on the caper paddock which grows more than 400 caper plants, suited to the dry, less humid conditions in the South Burnett.
Mrs Evans also worked with Bean Growers Australia Limited for 13 years in various positions, retiring from the organisation in 2020.
Jacqueline Curley
Situated north of Cloncurry, Jacqueline Curley is the owner of seed-stock enterprise Gipsy Plains Brahmans Stud farm, producing high quality red and grey Brahman studs with her family for more than 40 years.
A grazier and photographer, Ms Curley was a leading voice during the 2019 North Queensland floods that saw an animal welfare disaster, killing more than 40,000 cattle – Ms Curley losing 1300 of her own stud quality calves due to exposure.
Documenting the mass loss of domestic livestock on camera, Ms Curley’s photos received international attention, one picture of a dead cow and its calf awarded a runner-up placement in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ photography competition.
The image was also published in Graziher magazine and won at the Queensland Rural Media Awards in the photography category.
In 2020, Curley won the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award from the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network (QRRRWN) which recognises strength in contributing to regional communities.
Georgie Somerset AM
General President of farming lobby group AgForce Queensland, Georgina “Georgie” Somerset is an Australian farmer and grazier who has made a name for herself as an advocate for rural communities and women in the agricultural industry.
The former president and former vice president of the Queensland Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network (QRRRWN), Ms Somerset currently serves on multiple boards including the Queensland section of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, the ABC and the Wide Bay Burnett Regional Development Australia Committee.
Originally a cattle producer from Durong, Ms Somerset was nominated for ABC Rural Woman of the Year in 1997, was named one of 100 Women of Influence by The Australian Financial Review in 2014 and was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia in 2020 for her work in rural women’s advocacy as one of the people involved in establishing QRRRWN.
Carly Clark
Growing up on a south west Sydney acreage as a kid, Carly Clark is the owner of Bundaberg’s Splitters Farm, where she and her husband Ashley take care for more than 400 rehoused animals.
Since buying the 160-acre farm in 2017, Mr and Mrs Clark have been using the land as a sanctuary for unwanted farm animals.
During the 2020 lockdowns, the couple transformed the property into a luxury farm stay, with more than 50 powered camp sites, including eight glamping tents, letting guests experience farm life while educating them about the benefits of sustainable farming.
With a background in communications and business management, Mrs Clark sits on the Bundaberg Tourism Board of Directors and has worked in various senior marketing positions with the likes of the University of Southern Queensland, Auswide Bank and The Wiggles.
Mrs Clark is also a mother to five children and is currently working on constructing a Caretakers Quarters on the Splitters Farm grounds.
Julie Mayne
A rural woman for more than 30 years, Julie Mayne is a Dulacca beef cattle breeder and the current President of the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network (QRRRWN).
Ms Mayne has a plethora of experience in the agricultural industry, with experience as a horse trainer, dozer operator, station manager, branded beef marketer and now, the owner of Mayne Pastoral on Coolamon, north of Dulacca.
A self-described “artist and maker of things”, Ms Mayne is also a talented creative, creating detailed sculptures and drawings of Australian wildlife, sharing her work on social media where she showcases her pieces, some of which are made from recycled materials.
Katrina White
Hailing from Elimbah, near Caboolture, Katrina White and her husband David White, are the owners of farm-based tourism attraction White Ridge Farm.
Offering fun for all ages, White Ridge Farm provides opportunity to visit and interact with farm animals, llamas, alpacas and donkeys, with educational programs run for schools.
Visitors can also play putt putt golf, tour the farm on a tractor ride and interact with rabbits which were introduced in 2019 after Mrs White was one of few people to get an exhibitor’s licence for rabbits in Queensland.
Operating for eight years, the 20-acre farm is fully accessible with wheelchair access and disability facilities, in addition to being sustainable, with Mrs White working with Woolworths to alleviate landfill and put their wasted fruit and vegetables to use on the farm.
Jess Bidgood
Running three cattle properties with husband John Bidgood and her three children Lylia, Zander and Cormac, Jess Bidgood is a Central Queensland beef producer at Tingle Hill, with a focus on developing a regenerative grazing system.
With 12 years experience as a teacher at Baralaba State School, Mr and Mrs Bidgood maintained off-farm work to achieve their dream of working in agriculture full time, bought a third of Tingle Hill from Mr Bidgood’s family in 2011 and again in 2019, leasing the third part of the family-owned farm, all located around Baralaba.
Producing certified organic trade cattle across 630ha, Mrs Bidgood is also an Adviser with Resource Consulting Services.
Through her passion for learning more about grazing and her training, Mrs Bidgood is skilled in business management, soil health, livestock trading, grazing management and ecology.
Sally Ziesemer
Growing up on a grain farm an hour west of Toowoomba, Sally Ziesemer is the founder of ‘Home Soil’, a small business where she sells bunches of wheat from her own backyard in Chinchilla.
Hand-picked directly from the paddock, Ziesemer started the business with the thought of being able to display a piece of her home in someone else's, which resulted in the business taking off, receiving hundreds of orders and requests for weddings.
The long lasting products are available from $10 a bunch and makes for simple yet elegant home decor.
Yasmin Brisbane
Born in Wollongong (despite her very Queenslandian last name), Yasmin Brisbane resides in Chermside where she works at camel farm QCamel in Coochin Creek on the Sunshine Coast, looking after more than 100 camels with her family.
QCamel opened in 2014 by Ms Brisbane’s parents who were founding members of the Australian Camel Industry Association and inspired Ms Brisbane’s love for the unique creature, leading her to share videos of the camel farm on her TikTok page where she has more than 500k followers.
QCamel is Australia’s premium supplier of certified organic camel milk and sells other products like skin creams, soap, camel milk chocolates and smoothies.
When Ms Brisbane’s not helping out on the family farm, she’s making a name for herself as an actor, recently starring as a “scream queen” in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis filmed on the Gold Coast.
Dr Geraldine McGuire
Passionate about native foods and the empowerment of Indigenous people, Dr Geraldine McGuire (PhD) is the owner and operator of Rainforest Bounty, a farming business based on Atherton Tablelands that grows native foods.
Formerly an 80-acre dairy farm, Dr McGuire and her husband Athy McGuire replanted the farm 20 years ago to create a new category of food products inspired by native foods, the plantation becoming a leader in regenerative agricultural systems.
Growing up in Tropical North Queensland, Dr McGuire worked as an environmental manager for a large gold mine in East Kalimantan Indonesia for years before returning back to Australia where she witnessed the destruction of tropical rainforests.
As an agricultural and environmental scientist, Dr McGuire made it her mission to change the way we eat to restore people and the planet, starting the plantation with four native species: Lemon aspen, cape york lilly pilly, boonjie tamarind and ooray plum.
Now, Rainforest Bounty sells a variety of gourmet native food products, including curry bases, vinegar, chutneys and syrups.
Dr McGuire became the sole owner of Rainforest Bounty in 2015 and has also served as the Chair of multiple associations including Taste Paradise – Tropical North Queensland and the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Alexandria Galea
Born and raised on her family’s cotton and grains irrigation farm, Alexandria Galea is a natural agriculturalist, as well as the current branch manager of Cotton Growers Services.
Working closely with Central Queensland farmers and people working in the agriculture sector, Ms Galea is instrumental in supporting cross industry connection and sustainable business in farming within central Queensland.
With grandparents who were part of the sugar cane industry, Ms Galea represents generations of farming and was named a Young Farming Champion in 2018 for her work in the cotton industry.
Tina McPherson
A director on the board of Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers and former President of Passionfruit Australia, Tina McPherson is the owner of strawberry and passionfruit farm Tinaberries, run alongside her husband Bruce McPherson.
Born and raised in Brisbane, Mrs McPherson has a degree in English literature and has lived in Wilcannia, the Whitsundays, Uruguay and Indonesia, spending five years owning and operating a dairy farm in New Zealand with her husband.
Settling back in Australia in 2004, the pair bought a passionfruit farm in Bundaberg in 2008 which now specialises in strawberry production.
The 40ha property at Woongarra now runs a management system of 80 per cent commercial production and 20 per cent agritourism, the farm open to the public so guests can pick their own strawberries and buy real fruit ice cream from the on-site farm shop.
A mother to four children, Mrs McPherson is also passionate about sustainable farming practices, with a focus on reducing environmental footprint, recently introducing ice cream products to minimise wasted produce.
Dianne Sciacca
Ever seen those red-tip bananas at the grocery store?
Dianne Sciacca and her husband Frank Sciacca are the masterminds behind these ‘Ecoganic’ bananas, which use nil insecticides and instead, grow in natural conditions.
Mr and Mrs Sciacca are the owners of Pacific Coast Eco Bananas at Boogan and established their ‘Ecoganic’ system in 1998 which focuses on farming without the use of industrially produced fertilisers or insecticides, promoting safe and healthy food.
Pioneering red-tipped bananas, which are marked in food-safe wax to distinguish their ecoganic production, Mr and Mrs Sciacca are currently in the process of expanding into red-tipped papayas, avocados and mangoes.
In 2018, the pair were awarded the Prince of Wales Award for Environmental Leadership by then Prince Charles for their work in sustainable farming.
With only four per cent of Australians knowing the meaning behind red-tip bananas, Mr and Mrs Sciacca continue to build awareness about their ecoganic system and the importance of natural farming.
Lisa Giudice
Born into a cane farming family, Lisa Giudice is a canegrower and director of a 150ha cane farm at Newell alongside her husband Michael Giudice, as well as a voice for the Mossman cane farming industry.
A former board director of Mossman Canegrowers’, Mrs Giudice was instrumental in providing funding into the local sugar industry after there were fears of Mackay Sugar shutting down a 120-year-old sugar mill, the biggest employer in the area.
Working closely with politicians and industry figures including Member for Cook Cynthia Lui and Far Northern Milling Chairperson Maryann Salvetti, the three secured $25m in funding from the state government in 2018 to support local growers’ takeover of the mill.
Still involved in the sugar cane industry, Mrs Giudice helps out at the cane farm with Mr Giudice, looking after the office and administrative side of the business.
Mandy Schultz
With 25 years experience working as a naturopath with leading brands like Bullivants and Greenridge Botanicals, Mandy Schultz is the owner of strawberry farm Luvaberry, alongside her husband Adrian Schultz.
Farming strawberries for the past 20 years, Mr and Mrs Schultz have had to adapt to changes in the market, Mrs Schultz using her experience as a naturopath and passion to combat fresh fruit wastage to start her ‘War on Waste Movement’, finding innovative solutions to wastage.
As a result, Mrs Schultz developed products like frozen fruit, freeze dried berries and berry dust in 2017 to extend the shelf life of her products, in addition to exploring fusion farming, using the 16ha property to grow other products like herbs, cucamelons and Moreton Bay finger limes.
The innovative family-owned small business also offers agritourism farm experiences all year round, opening their farm to schools, events, and the public, which saw them recently awarded one of the Best of Queensland Experiences in 2023 by Tourism Queensland.
Passionate about sustainable farming, Mrs Schultz enjoys educating farm visitors about sustainability and waste management practices and continues to innovate the family business.
Kay Tommerup
Working on a dairy farm with her fifth-generation dairy farmer husband Dave Tommerup for more than 20 years, Kay Tommerup is a dairy farmer from the Scenic Rim and vice president of Destination Scenic Rim.
Awarded the #eatqld Champion in 2020, Mrs Tommerup helps run the Tommerup family dairy farm and produces top quality dairy products, with a passion for keeping the farm ongoing for generations to come.
A 100-year-old business, Tommerup Dairy Farm recently won the Innovation category of the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards in 2023 for their outstanding efforts in transforming the farm into an agritourism destination, while also producing top quality dairy products.
Owned by Mr Tommerup’s family since 1874, the sixth-generation working farm is home to 20 Jersey cows, named after Mr and Mrs Tommerup’s favourite celebrity chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, Shannon Bennett and Maggie Beer.
Alicia Vohland
After visiting the Adelaide Hills on a holiday as a teenager, Alicia Vohland made it her goal to own a lavender farm, biting the bullet in 2019 and buying a 23-acre property in Westbrook from her parents.
Born and raised in the Darling Downs, Mrs Vohland runs the Westbrook Windy Acres Farm with her husband Craig Vohland and her two children, which is home to an apiary with six beehives and a crop with four different varieties of lavender.
Once used for livestock and feed crop, the land has been transformed into picturesque lavender paddocks, serving as an excellent location for photographers and special events, with Mrs Vohland passionate about promoting agritourism.
A finalist in the 2022 Australian Rural Business Awards, Mrs Vohland and her family have turned their farm and small business into a successful venture, offering a unique farm visit and selling a selection of products including soaps, oils, hair and skin products and hampers.
Di Piggott
A third generation dairy farmer and second generation cheese maker, Di Piggott is the owner and manager of Awassi Sheep Cheesery on the Lockyer Valley, run with her husband David Piggott and their adorable border collie, Bamboo since 2017.
Queensland’s second sheep milk and cheese producer, the 64ha farm runs more than 160 head of Awassi sheep split into two milking herds, to allow the Middle Eastern heritage breed to produce cheese all year round.
Producing a range of hard and soft cheeses, Mrs Piggott has won multiple accolades for her signature farmstead cheeses, expanding into other products like yoghurts, and gourmet sheep milk ice creams with flavours like fig and ginger, chilli chocolate and Jaffa.
Despite being a working farm, Mr and Mrs Piggott have their farm open to the public, and hold events like cheese tastings, weddings and ‘High Cheeses’, a cheese-tasting event similar to a high tea, where guests can enjoy sitting by the farm’s avocado groves.
Lillian Lever
Overseeing more than 3000 crocodiles, Lillian Lever is a co-owner of Queensland’s first commercial crocodile farm, Koorana Crocodile Farm alongside her husband John Lever.
A Rural Industries Research an Development Corporation Rural Women’s Award state finalist, Mr and Mrs Lever have won various accolades since establishing their business in 1981, offering guests the total crocodile experience, with public tours, school visits and their own crocodile kitchen.
Mrs Lever was also a Capricornia Regional Finalist in the 1995 ABC Radio Queensland Rural Woman of the Year Awards and was recognised as one of YWCA Queensland’s 125 Leading Queensland Women in 2013.
Karen Lindsay
Owner and operator of Little White Goat Cheese, Karen Lindsay runs her own goat farm in Wamuran, Moreton Bay, overseeing 60 goats, including 20 milking goats.
Often appearing at Moreton Bay Food & Wine Festival, Ms Lindsay sells a range of products, including her infamous cheese products, popular with high-end restaurants around the Sunshine Coast, including Matt Golinski’s View Restaurant in Noosa.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic put a hold on restaurants buying her goat cheese products, Ms Lindsay came up with the idea of freeze dried feta, a world first product that solved issues of wastage by extending the product’s shelf life by 18 months.
In 2020, Ms Lindsay also launched her second business Luv Handle, a reusable handle made from recycled plastic that covers trolleys and baskets to prevent the spread of germs.
Aleacea Nixon
Growing up on a farm, Gelbvieh and Hereford cattle has always been a huge part of Aleacea Nixon’s life, working alongside her parents Aderian and Julie Nixon at Weetalabah Cattle Services in Dulacca since childhood.
Currently the Youth President of Gelbvieh Australia and the President of Herefords Queensland Youth Association, Ms Nixon started her own cattle stud Mickey Mouse Beef in 2015, selling her first bull in 2017 at 16.
With a passion for educating the next generation about agriculture and cattle, Ms Nixon won the CM Hocking Memorial Scholarship from Herefords Australia in 2018 after being sashed the champion parader, champion herdsman and national champion in 2017 at the Herefords Australian National Youth Expo.
Studying a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of New England, Ms Nixon currently works at Elders as a farm and rural supplies specialist.
Candy MacLaughlin
Born in Zimbabwe, Candy MacLaughlin moved to Mareeba in Far North Queensland when she was 10 years old, after her parents bought a coffee plantation which came to be known as Skybury.
Established in 1987, Skybury is Australia’s oldest commercial coffee plantation and Australia’s largest producer of red papaya, producing 6.5 million kilograms of papaya annually and 40 tonnes of coffee.
One of the largest growers in the region, Ms MacLaughlin was made the General Manager of the family-owned business in 2017 after her parents gave her the position, where she now provides linkages between all facets of the business, from their on-site cafe Skybury Cafe and liaising with wholesale and retail companies including NQ Gold Coffee and Tropical Fruit Direct.
With a Bachelors Degree in Design and Visual Communications, Ms MacLaughlin lives and works in rural Mareeba and was nominated for FNQ Growers 2019 Charlie Nastasi Horticultural Farmer of the Year Award for her work managing the 470-acre farm.
The oldest of three siblings, MacLaughlin is married and has three children of her own.
Melita Jurgens
Hailing from Bowen in Far North Queensland, Melita Jurgens along with her partner Jamie Jurgens and their two children Jess and Jacob, work together to produce certified organic vegetables under the vertically integrated business, Vee Jay’s Kalfresh.
With a focus on sustainable farming, around 20 per cent of the farm is certified organic, with the family maintaining their sustainable business model through soil management and biodiversity.
The Vee Jay’s tomato brand was first established in 1974 by Mr Jurgens’ parents Vern and Janette and is still one of the most recognised in the marketplace for its gourmet tomatoes.
While the family has been growing tomatoes for more than 100 years, the Jurgens family also grows green beans, sweet corn, pumpkin, capsicums and melons.
Lisa Fyffe
Skilled with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours), Lisa Fyffe is a skilled avocado grower and one of the directors at Dandy Produce, a family farming enterprise focusing on avocado and macadamias.
Originally from Melbourne, Ms Fyffe currently resides in Bundaberg and is the founder and director of two companies, Ripe Horticulture and The Avocado Company.
Focusing on providing agronomic services to growers, Ripe Horticulture is a horticultural consulting company that helps farmers from all over the nation increase the returns on their stock.
The Avocado Company provides growers with independent agronomy information, directly from Ms Fyffe’s years of experience growing the fruit.
As well serving as a director on multiple businesses, Ms Fyffe is a mother of two.
Karen Penfold
A teacher, wife and mother, Karen Penfold is a beef producer and CFO of family-owned premium black angus beef brand ‘Four Daughters’, named after her four children Bonnie, Molly, Jemima and Matilda, who were all raised on the family farm.
Managing more than 40,000 hectares across four cattle properties in Meandarra, Talwood and Yaraka, the family turn around 9000 head a year, breeding and feedlotting their export of 150-day grain fed premium black angus.
Joining the Emerging Exporters Program in 2019, the Penfold family began exploring international exportation, partnering with China to build their agribusiness into overseas markets.
When the Covid pandemic disrupted their supply chains and their wholesaler links to Wuhan, the innovate family turned to home-delivered premium beef boxes, delivering to customers from Brisbane, Toowoomba and surrounds, in addition to donating beef to base services feeding those in need.
Originally from Brisbane, Mrs Penfold also works as a schoolteacher while managing the Four Daughters brand.
Alexandra “Tess” Camm
Hailing from St Lawrence in Queensland’s Isaac region, Alexandra “Tess” Camm is a fifth-generation grazier and the General Manager of her aunt and uncle Blair and Josie Angus’ branded beef company Signature Beef in Clermont.
Overseeing all the co-ordination and production of livestock, Ms Camm ensures all beef products meet market requirements and sales targets.
With a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Queensland, Ms Camm was selected as a Nuffield Australia Scholarship winner in 2020, helping increase the value capture of beef products by learning from agriculture industry professionals worldwide.
Passionate about beef production, Ms Camm was also declared a 2013 Rising Champion in Beef Initiative State Champion by the Cattle Council of Australia, and won the 2012 Edhar Judgins Memorial Scholarship in 2012 which saw her represent Australian beef producers as an international ambassador in the U.S.A.
Previously working as a grazing co-ordinator and station hand at her family’s beef breeding and trading business, Ms Camm continues to grow the Signature Beef brand, recently opening Signature Onfarm, a bespoke facility for beef processing.
Juanita Breen
Focusing on holistic, ethical, regenerative and sustainable farming, Juanita Breen is the co-owner and a co-farmer at Echo Valley Farm, run alongside her husband Randal Breen.
Producing pastured eggs, pastured pork, grass-fed beef and seasonal vegetables, Mrs Breen started the farm in 2014 as a first generation farmer following a career in community development and community services.
Running the 300 acre property in Goomburra, all their food systems are environmentally regenerative, running by their slogan, “good for the animal, good for the land, good for the farmer and good for you”.
Mrs Breen can be found selling their goodies Saturday mornings at the Vacant Assembly markets in Brisbane’s West End, with click and collect locations across Warwick, Ferny Hills, Salisbury, Albion and more.
Sally Hopper
Owner and operator at Maleny Dairies on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Sally Hoppers runs operations at the third-generation farming enterprise and largest family owned white milk producer in the country.
With a focus on producing top quality, natural products, Ms Hopper and her family are committed to making their business sustainable for people, place and products, announcing plans in 2021 to convert their operations to become the state’s first carbon-positive dairy business.
Producing a range of yoghurt, custard, cream and milk products, the farm has been operating since ‘Great Grandfather Hopper’ purchased the land in 1948.
Maleny Dairies also donates to local schools and organisation in the area, most recently donating their latest yoghurt products to a range of businesses in the Maleny area.
Jess Taylor
A fourth-generation farmer, Jess Taylor is the owner of Irresistible Orchards, a 40ha family farm in Mareeba which she and her husband Mark Taylor took over in 2016.
Formerly owned by Mrs Taylor’s father Steve, the family has owned the farm since 1959 which was previously run as a tobacco farm by Mrs taylor’s grandfather before moving into lychees, mangoes and avocados.
It was since diversified into limes and pomegranates, as well as continuing to grow its lychee production.
Based in Far North Queensland, Mrs Taylor documents the farm’s journey on the Irresistible Orchards Instagram page, where her children Lacey and Bray continue the family legacy, helping out on the farm, picking fruits, driving tractors and selling produce at local markets.
Irresistible Orchards continues to diversify its products, most recently introducing dragon fruit and dehydrated limes.
Bronwyn Neuendorf
Based in Lilydale, Bronwyn Neuendorf is a fourth generation farmer who has been practising sustainable production techniques since 2010 at her and her husband David Neuendorf’s farm 9Dorf Farms.
With family members farming in the Lockyer Valley since 1918, Mrs Neuendorf and her family produce pasture-raised poultry, sustainably farmed fish and fodder, with a mission of producing environmentally friendly, stress free and ethical produce.
Their journey into sustainable farming began in 2011 when Mr and Mrs Neuendorf implemented a 30 tonne aquaculture recirculation system, cutting down electricity usage by a third compared to open pond systems to grow their jade perch, barramundi and Murray cod.
Chickens on their farm are also grazed in a free-range rotational system, all sign the chickens to roam freely in the paddock, producing eggs that the family refers to as “beyond organic”.
9Dorf Farms was awarded the Environment and Sustainable Award at the Lockyer Valley Business, Training and Apprenticeship Awards in 2018.
The farm also runs an online store, delivering fresh poultry, eggs and fish to Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
Marie Piccone
Originally from Cairns, Marie Piccone is a ‘Queen of Mangoes’ as the managing director of Australia’s largest producer of Kensington Pride mangoes, Manbulloo.
An experienced horticulturist and business consultant, Piccone’s journey began when she bought three neglected mango plantations in 2005, which she completely transformed, increasing yield by 300 per cent and now operating seven farms across the Northern Territory and northern Queensland region.
Passionate about providing tasty and healthy mangoes, Piccone produces and exports high quality Kensington Pride, R2E2 and Keitt mangoes across the nation and internationally, earning the Supplier of the Year award in 2015 from long-term partner Coles.
For her work producing, marketing and exporting mangoes to South Korea, China, Japan and Australia, Picvconer has earned herself multiple accolades including Hong Kong Australia Judge’s Recognition Business Award in 2014, Telstra Queensland Business Women’s Award in 2015, and was inducted into the Her Business Australia Hall of Fame in 2017.
Collectors of Coles 2019 Stikeez toy campaign may also recognise Piccone after Coles named their collectable mango figurine ‘Marie the Mango’ after their long-term mango supplier.
Piccone continues to work as the managing director and owner of Manbulloo Ltd. and serves as a director on the Australia Korea Business Council (AKBC) and the Chair of the AKBC Food and Agriculture Sub-committee.
Lisa Elliott
With 20 years in research and development, Lisa Elliott is a microbiologist, consultant and freshwater crayfish specialist, plus the founder and director of Australian Crayfish Hatchery.
Located in Mount St John in Townsville, the hatchery is known for its patented, world-first vertical breeding system which provides 1.8 million craylings annually from its temperature controlled warehouse.
With a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) from James Cook University, Elliott is passionate about growing the crayfish industry, believing that it could support hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in export income.
Opened in 2017, Elliott’s crayfish hatchery continues to produce healthy, disease-free and antibiotic-free craylings.
Lynn Jahnke
After moving from Melbourne to Tropical North Queensland in 2003, Lynne Jahnke left a career in retail and marketing to start growing cocoa at Charley’s Chocolate, a 400-acre cocoa farm on Mission Beach.
Officially launching the Charley’s Chocolate brand in 2013, Lynn and Chris Jahnke made headlines in 2017 by becoming one of eighteen recipients of the Salon du Chocolat International Cocoa Awards, awarding the finest cocoa producers in the world.
Charley’s Chocolate was later chosen as one of the top 50 cocoa samples at the Cocoa of Excellence Awards in Paris in 2019, judging the finest cocoa beans from 55 different countries.
Prior to her career in Australian chocolate, Ms Jahnke spent 19 years in senior retail management roles and co-founded handbag company Essential Additions with Chris Jahnke.
Karinda Anderson
The unofficial owner of Australia’s biggest John Deere merchandise collection, Karinda Anderson owns and operates Oh Deere Farm Stay with her partner Dale, a working sugar cane farm complete with a collection of green and yellow tractors and machinery.
Originally from Tasmania, Ms Anderson formerly worked as an intensive crop farmer and is passionate about teaching people about agriculture, hosting guests and local schools at her 162ha farm in Calen near Mackay.
Founded in 2019, Oh Deere Farm Stay teaches visitors the process of sugar cane farming from planting to juicing, with an extra cool twist by being themed after the popular manufacturing company John Deere.
Aimee Thomas
A fifth-generation farmer, Aimee Thomas and her husband James Thomas, are the owners of Falkirk Farm near Gympie, where the pair along with their four boys grow macadamias on their 45ha orchard.
Raised by parents who run a macadamia orchard on the Sunshine Coast, Mrs Thomas made a move from growing cotton at St George and purchased Falkirk Farm in 2013 to pursue her passion for macadamias.
With harvest season beginning in April and ending in August, Mr and Mrs Thomas sell their bags of macadamias via an online shop.
Belinda Williams
Hailed the nation’s ‘Halloween pumpkin queen’, Belinda Williams is a third-generation farmer and runs her family’s business Stackelroth Farms in Bowen, alongside her partner Michelle O’Regan, using the hashtag #2chicksfarming on the farm’s Instagram page.
Ms Williams runs an almost all-female operation and is most well known for her pumpkins, encouraging Australian households to celebrate the spooky day with pumpkin carving.
Expanding the business and running educational programs about horticulture for schools, Ms Williams also grows and sells honey, tomatoes, rockmelon and other seasonal fruit and vegetables.
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Originally published as 40 powerful Queensland women in farming | LIST
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