Proud to promote rural Tassie

TASMANIAN Caitlin Radford has claimed a national honour in representing her state’s rural community. 

The young farmer from the state’s North-West was recently named as the runner up in the national 2024 Rural Ambassador Award. 

Ms Radford, of Moriarty, was chosen to represent Tasmania by Tasmanian Agricultural Shows. 

The 25-year-old was announced as runner-up in at the Royal Melbourne Show recently behind Lachlan Johnson from South Australia.

The Rural Ambassador Award is a national competition held by hundreds of agricultural shows across Australia. 

It aims to identify and promote the next generation of young Australian rural leaders. 

Ms Radford will be part of the official party escorting State Governor Barbara Baker at the Royal Hobart Show on October 24, where she will be taking on some judging duties too. 

She is a proud fifth-generation farmer, who alongside her husband and parents runs a 200ha farm growing vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, peas, beans and brussels sprouts as well as running cattle and sheep. 

She has a diploma in Agribusiness Management, is a qualified Equestrian Australia coach and in her spare time runs a small equine business. 

“I started as a little girl; helping Dad and Pop looking after newborn lambs. 

“We have an incredible rural industry here in Tasmania and at Moriarty we enjoy some of the richest soils in the nation,” she said. 

Ms Radford said she was proud to represent the agricultural community in any way possible. 

Her commitment to agriculture is evident through her work as a rural ambassador, where she speaks to schools, conferences, and local groups.

 The Rural Ambassador competition is open to males and females aged 20 to 30 years. Entrants must be a permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand and have been nominated by an agricultural society. 

Up to eight finalists compete in the national finals each year, representing states and territories as well as New Zealand. 

Finalists are assessed on their activity and initiative within their local rural communities and their commitment to agriculture, their local shows and their future goals in and for agriculture. 

Tasmanian Agricultural Shows is the umbrella group for Tasmania’s agricultural show movement, which sees the award as an important way of attracting young people into rural industries.