The award celebrates leadership and innovation throughout rural and regional Victoria.

Mrs Hadzig grew up on a farm at Wallup.

“From a young age I would help my father on the farm, from moving sheep and working in the shearing shed to general farm duties,” she said. “That is when I realised agriculture was for me.”

Now, at 26, Mrs Hadzig wants to use the skills and lessons she has learned to develop an app that provides safety inductions, maintenance alerts and a fault log, to reduce farm work injuries.

She said the idea developed last year, after she completed Certificate Four in Agriculture and was named the dux of her course.

She was the only trainee to receive full marks for all Occupational Health and Safety assessments, which she said gave her the confidence to look further into the field.

“Everything these days involves technology. Most people have smart phones. That’s why I thought an application would be a great idea,” she said.

“Farm accidents and deaths have been in the media a lot. If I can reduce other people becoming a statistic through using my application, that would be fantastic.

“I am talking to some people about possibly combining my idea with an application they have already created for farming.”

Mrs Hadzig – a mum to two young boys – works casually on a farm at Murra Warra and as a merchandise salesperson at Western Ag Supplies in Nhill.

She is also involved with the Country Fire Authority, and is a Victorian Farmers Federation member.

“I had to fill out an application and then answer questions about my idea. After I submitted my response I was notified that I was shortlisted for a phone interview,” she said. “A day after that, I was notified that I had become a finalist. I was very shocked – speechless. My stomach was filled with butterflies.”

Mrs Hadzig will compete with two other women for the title, with the winner announced on March 20 at the Melbourne Museum.

The winner will receive $10,000 to implement their project, and will then have the opportunity to attend an Australian Institute of Company Directors course prior to a national award ceremony in Canberra in September.