SA Teacher-Turned-Farmer Zanker Wins 2026 National Prize

Ms Zanker, co-founder of Dairy Adventures , an agritourism venture bringing city and country Australians onto her family's working dairy farm, has been named the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award National Winner for her leadership in bridging the gap between farmers and consumers through hands-on education. Since launching Dairy Adventures in 2024, Narelle has welcomed more than 1,200 visitors – from preschoolers to retirees – through the farm gates, turning everyday milking and calf-feeding into powerful lessons on food safety, animal care and where food actually comes from.

Ms Shotton was named National Runner Up for Stationly , formally known as BoreWatch, a digital platform she built after growing tired of tracking water infrastructure across remote Northern Territory cattle stations on paper. As a station pilot flying thousands of kilometres over some of Australia's most isolated country, the young entrepreneur turned that everyday frustration into a tool that helps station staff monitor tanks, bores, troughs and fuel across vast properties, replacing lost paperwork with reliable, trackable data. Stationly shows that some of the sharpest solutions to remote Australia's biggest challenges are coming from the people living them.

Ms Zanker and Ms Shotton, along with their fellow national finalists, were honoured for their exceptional contributions to rural communities and industries during Tuesday's ceremony. The 2026 cohort includes:

• Kristie Ivone, founder, Boas Language Academy (New South Wales / ACT)
• Amy Vickers, founder, Well Beyond Service (Tasmania)
• Angie Nisbet, co‑founder, FarmHer Hands (Queensland)
• Becky Dickinson, founder, Veterinary Support Services (Victoria)
• Angela Teale, founder of Starsite Australia (Western Australia)

The announcement was made by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, The Hon Julie Collins MP, during a black-tie gala dinner at Canberra's Parliament House on Tuesday evening. The event brought together more than 500 government officials, industry representatives, members of the Award's alumni, other state finalists and their families.

Since its inception, the Award has celebrated hundreds of women transforming their industries, from food and fibre to tech, sustainability and community leadership. It's become a national platform that amplifies rural voices, fuels innovation and inspires the next generation of leaders. A recent independent impact assessment found the program's return on investment has nearly tripled since 2021, with 40 per cent of alumni going on to secure board roles.

Backed by Platinum Sponsor Westpac, the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award is Australia's premier award recognising and supporting the vital role women play in rural and regional businesses, industries and communities.

In addition to the $15,000 Westpac grant already awarded to the seven state and territory winners, Narelle and Kelly will receive an additional $20,000 and $15,000 respectively to further develop their winning projects.

Ms Zanker said winning the prestigious Award was validation that agritourism has a real place in modern farming.

"For me, this has always been about reconnecting people with the land," Ms Zanker said.

"So many people have become disconnected from where their food comes from, and once you get them out on the farm and show them what actually goes into producing milk, you can see the light bulb go off. This grant means we can take that further, running virtual classrooms so kids all over Australia can have that same opportunity to learn about dairy farming and where their food comes from, even if they can't make it out to the farm in Mannum."

Ms Shotton said being named National Runner-Up was a huge honour.

"I never expected Stationly to go this far when I first built it just to make my own job easier," Ms Shotton said.

"Everything used to be tracked on paper, and I could see how much time and detail was being lost along the way. This grant means I can now put real energy into developing Stationly further and rolling it out so more people can spend less time chasing paperwork and more time making good decisions on the ground."

Brianna Casey AM, Managing Director of AgriFutures Australia, praised Ms Zanker for the role she's played in bridging the city and country, at her first Rural Women's Award since joining AgriFutures in January.

"Stepping into this role and seeing the impact of the Rural Women's Award up close has been a genuine privilege, it's one of the clearest examples I've seen of the ripple effect that regional women are having across every corner of Australia," Ms Casey said.

"Narelle Zanker embodies exactly what this award is about. She's young, smart and passionate, and she's built a genuinely commercial business off the back of her experience as a teacher and her life on the farm, all while reconnecting everyday Australians with where their food actually comes from."

"I also want to congratulate Kelly Shotton, the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award National Runner-Up. Kelly's story is equally remarkable, and shows the kind of sharp, practical thinking that comes from people who are solving the problems they live with every day. It's a fantastic result for the NT to have her recognised on the national stage."

Platinum Sponsor Westpac commended both women on their achievements.

"These winners represent the very best of what we see across regional Australia, people who spot a gap and get on with solving it," said Peta Ward, Managing Director, Regional Commercial and Agribusiness for Platinum Sponsor, Westpac.

"It's been a privilege to see firsthand just how much these women contribute – not just to their own farms, businesses and stations, but to the industries and communities around them."

Applications for the 2027 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award open Wednesday, 9 September 2026 and close Wednesday, 4 November 2026 (Wednesday, 20 January 2027 for NT applicants). See the AgriFutures Australia website for more details.