NT cattle king David Connolly secures surprise spot on national farmers board

A Territory cattle king has won a surprise national honour. Read what he will bring to the job.

The President of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association David Connolly has

been voted onto the board of the National Farmers Federation at its annual general meeting in Canberra.

Mr Connolly got the nod when the nation’s peek farming body met last week.

He has been president of the NTCA since March last year.

Mr Connolly will be one of seven board members and joins South Australian cattle and grain producer Natalie Sommerville as one of only two new faces on the board.

NFF board positions including the president, vice president and five directors is voted on by state farm organisations and other agricultural representative groups. The board can appoint two independent directors if it believes additional skills are required.

“It was an honour just to be nominated, but to be elected is a huge vote of confidence in the

work of the NTCA and the importance of the Territory’s cattle industry to agriculture

nationally,” Mr Connolly said.

The President of the Northern Territory Cattlemen‘sAssociation David Connolly has been voted onto the Board of the National Farmers Federation at the NFF Annual General Meeting in Canberra November 2022.

The National Farmers Federation is made up of more than 30 peak agricultural bodies from

around Australia and serves as the primary voice for farmers nationally.

“We certainly support the work of the NFF and have a dedicated NTCA Executive Committee

member who manages our engagement with the organisation,” he said.

“This role has been filled this year by Nick Krebs from the Hewitt Cattle Company – who has done an outstanding job.”

In what was viewed as an unusual twist, Mr Connolly did not self-nominate for the role, nor was he put up for election by the NTCA. Instead, the nomination was made by another agricultural organisation.

“I was a bit surprised to get a call from Queensland asking if I’d consider it,” Mr Connolly said.

“The NTCA is a bloody busy organisation, and I wasn’t really looking for another job to take

on – but as president of the NTCA, you simply can’t turn down opportunities to represent

the Territory’s cattle industry.”

Mr Connolly will serve on the NFF Board for three years, with his term due to expire in 2025.

“I think the people who nominated me realise it’s healthy to have a broad representation at the NFF and I think obviously the people that voted for the position must have thought the same thing.

“I believe it’s important to have good representation in the north to take pastoralists and agriculturalists views into the NFF, so any decisions taken by that organisation is getting a balanced point from a broad spectrum of members.

“I want to be an active member of the board and can contribute where possible and ensure that I bring my skills and experience of working in the industry for a lifetime to that board.

“The agriculture industry in the Northern Territory has a very bright future and that’s going to be based around decisions made by governments and government departments and anything the country’s largest producer group can do to make sure our voices are heard can only be an advantage in trying to shape that policy.

“I think the development of a very good culture in the NT is about to go to the next level and more intensification in the right areas is inevitable. If Australia’s going to feed itself, big wide areas available to agriculture need to be developed within the areas open to agriculture. It makes good sense to have agriculture.”