A South Australian dairy farmer who has brought thousands of Australians on to her family farm and a Northern Territory station pilot who developed a digital water-management platform have been recognised at the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.
Narelle Zanker, co-founder of Dairy Adventures near Mannum, was named the national winner at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday evening. Kelly Shotton, a former electrical apprentice who now works as a station pilot, was named national runner-up.
The awards recognise women whose leadership, businesses and practical ideas are strengthening rural and regional Australia. More than 500 government, industry and community representatives attended the gala dinner. ([agrifutures.com.au](https://agrifutures.com.au/news/south-australian-teacher-turned-farmer-narelle-zanker-named-2026-national-winner/?utm_source=openai))
Rural Women’s Award celebrates innovation beyond the cities
Ms Zanker established Dairy Adventures in 2024 to give visitors hands-on experience of dairy farming, including calf-feeding, milking and lessons about animal care, food safety and the journey from farm to table.
The venture has welcomed more than 1,200 visitors, ranging from pre-school children to retirees. Its success has helped Ms Zanker demonstrate how agritourism can connect consumers with the people and processes behind Australian food production.
As national winner, she will receive an additional A$20,000 Westpac grant on top of the A$15,000 grant awarded to each state and territory winner. She plans to use the funding to expand Dairy Adventures and develop virtual classroom resources for children unable to visit the farm in person.
Ms Zanker said the award would help her extend the project’s reach and give more people an understanding of how milk is produced and what is involved in running a modern dairy farm.
Ms Shotton was recognised for Stationly, formerly known as BoreWatch, a platform created to improve the monitoring of tanks, bores, troughs and fuel on remote cattle stations.
Having worked across isolated properties, Ms Shotton saw the shortcomings of relying on paper records to track vital water infrastructure. Her system is designed to give station staff more reliable information and support faster, better-informed decisions across vast areas.
The station pilot will receive an additional A$15,000 to develop Stationly and make it available to more pastoral businesses. She said the project began as an attempt to make her own work easier before growing into a tool with wider potential across the industry.
The remaining national finalists were Kristie Ivone of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Amy Vickers of Tasmania, Angie Nisbet of Queensland, Becky Dickinson of Victoria and Angela Teale of Western Australia.
AgriFutures Australia said the finalists demonstrated how women in regional communities were creating businesses, solving practical problems and developing new opportunities across agriculture, technology, health and community services. ([agrifutures.com.au](https://agrifutures.com.au/news/south-australian-teacher-turned-farmer-narelle-zanker-named-2026-national-winner/?utm_source=openai))
