VFF Member Sarah Parker has received the 2022 Rural Community Leader of the Year award at the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards ceremony held in Canberra on 8 September.
Sarah and her husband Raymond run a dairy farm and Illawara stud at Undera in the Goulburn Valley.
Sarah is passionate about giving back to her community and supporting the growth of those in the industry. She serves a range of organisations, working with them to improve conditions, advance causes, highlight issues and provide opportunities for people to get involved, grow their skills and knowledge and connect with others.
Sarah is the immediate past President and current Treasurer of Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA), Vice President of the National Rural Women’s Coalition, and Treasurer/Secretary of a Collective Bargaining Group that works to achieve the best price for its dairy farmers.
She is also the Deputy Chair of the VFF’s Farm Business Committee and has served on numerous VFF/UDV committees including as a founding member and Vice-President of the Young Agriprofessionals Group.
Sarah is active in the Illawarra Cattle Society’s Victorian Branch and has been a Cows Create Careers Advocate since 2012. She visits local schools to educate students on the many career pathways in the dairy industry. Alongside Raymond, who addresses animal care and husbandry, they deliver calves to the schools for the students to rear.
The VFF congratulates Sarah on this achievement and recognition of her service to Victorian agriculture and our rural communities.