Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I had the pleasure of meeting the New South Wales Young Farmer of the Year last week. At just 29 years old, Renae Connell cares for 160 head of dairy cattle with her husband Scott at Megan, near Dorrigo, in my electorate of Cowper. She, like many farmers, has been through a lot—the current drought, the effect of fires and succession planning for the family property. Add to the mix two lively daughters, aged 11 and eight, and the Connells have the recipe for a very busy life.

And yet, amazingly, Renae makes time for others. It's this aspect of her personality that I've been most impressed by. She holds representative positions in farming and community groups and presents at conferences, and she has already been primed as a future leader of the dairy industry, having analysed Valley Rose Jerseys to make it more profitable and sustainable.

She is honest with others about the difficulties she experiences with farming: the isolation, the loneliness and the depression that can sometimes result from so many hours of work and living remotely. She has shared with the public the steps that she has taken to improve her life and mental health, like reaching out for support and installing new technology on the farm to reduce her workload.

This young family is going great guns, and their shift to the traditional Holstein-Jersey herd, capable of producing A2 milk, is delivering them better profits and a better life. Well done, Renae, on becoming the New South Wales state government's Young Farmer of the Year for 2019.

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