A Horsham farmer is looking to bolster her leadership skills with a prestigious GrainsGrowers scholarship program.
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Denise McLellan is one of eight farmers from across the country to be selected for the GrainGrowers Onboard Directors Program, which will train them in the hard and soft skills required for board-level leadership.
A first-generation farmer, Mrs McLellan has worked the land in the Wimmera for 20 years.
In addition to growing, she also does consultation work with farm businesses managing people and safety, as well as marketing and communications with local agribusinesses.
Mrs McLellan said the program was a good opportunity to get her foot in the leadership door and give back to Wimmera's farming community.
"I believe in giving back. It is one thing to complain and not do anything about it. If you are going to have a voice you may as well have a proper voice," she said.
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"The GrainGrowers program is just an awesome opportunity because they are actively supporting farmers to get that skill set to go out and properly support the industry."
The Onboard Directors program will be broken up into three modules, with two-inhouse sessions covering leadership and development.
The third module will involve a course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, as well as an intensive end-of-course examination.
Mrs McLellan said that she had a focus on the management of people on farms and in farm businesses, and looked to utilize skills gained from the course in that field.
"I think it is about expanding my tool kit because I would like to be involved in the industry on a broader level.
"It is a big responsibility being on a board, you are managing the direction of the business, so they want to know they have the people with the right skill set.
"Initially when I started in agriculture, I was working on the grains productions side, whereas now my focus is on the people side of farming. How can we manage our people and treat them better?
"How can we get the most out of our people so we have a really productive workforce, and also so they feel valued?"
The course will begin in Sydney in April and conclude by the end of the year.
GrainGrowers Chair Brett Hosking congratulated the applicants for their enrollment in the program.
"Congratulations to our next OnBoard cohort. We're excited to have such a talented group of growers participate in 2022. OnBoard has been designed to help growers utilise the skills they have and undertake training that will serve them well for board roles," he said.
"There's no shortage of skilled and progressive growers here in Australia, so our goal is to ensure grower voices are represented where it matters most."
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