| WA FARMER SUE MIDDLETON WINS RIRDC RURL WOMEN'S AWARD |
| 26-05-2010 |
The two rural leaders were presented with their awards at a gala dinner in Canberra by Federal Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister, Tony Burke. Chairperson of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Professor Daniela Stehlik, congratulated Sue and Alana on the contributions they have made to their industries and to agriculture sector more broadly. Sue runs with her husband a diverse pork, citrus and grain farming operation at Wongan Hills two hours north east of Perth. She also plays a key role promoting and supporting the role of women on the land through her involvement in a number of state and national rural advisory bodies. Sue’s vision is to create a more sustainable pork industry by converting the waste produced at piggeries and converting it into biogas. She plans to use the award bursary to travel both domestically and overseas to investigate leading biogas production facilities. Award runner up Alana Johnson is a fifth generation farmer, a rural consultant and a pioneer of the rural women’s movement in Australia. She and her husband run a beef cattle enterprise outside Benalla. For more than three decades she has contributed to the development of rural women’s leadership having held leadership positions in a range of agriculture bodies, including the Foundation for Australian Agricultural Women. Alana is working to establish the Australian Agriculture Future Foundation – an independent philanthropic foundation – that will provide an avenue for people on the land to create a legacy to rural Australia by enabling them to invest their wealth back into agriculture.
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