Guy Barnett,Minister for Primary Industries and Water
Congratulations to Karen Brock who has been named as the Tasmanian winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award for 2020.
Karen is a specialist in plant tissue culture and will receive a $10,000 bursary to help her important work in delivering improvements to the food production and cut flower sectors.
The Award will assist Karen in her work to reduce plant input costs as well as producing disease-resistant and climate tolerant plants, and crops that produce higher yields per hectare.
She also partners with others to teach plant tissue culture and assist with food security production systems in under-developed countries.
The AgriFutures Rural Women's Award has been acknowledging and supporting the essential role women play in rural industries, businesses and communities for 20 years.
It provides a platform to inspire and support Australian women to use and develop their skills to benefit their industries and communities.
Karen will attend the prestigious Australian Institute of Company Directors Course and represent Tasmania at the national awards, should they go ahead.
The 2020 Tasmanian Women in Agriculture Encouragement Award was won by researcher and producer Louise Morris, from Derby, who has started Australia's first farm focussed on producing insects for human consumption.
Development Awards, supported by Tasmanian Women in Agriculture, were won by regenerative farming practices advocate Celia Leverton, from Franklin, and community change specialist Robyn Eversole, from Natone.
Congratulations to all winners and entrants for your important work in growing our valuable agricultural sector in Tasmania.
Our vital primary industries are more important than ever in these difficult times and the Government will continue to do what we can to back the sector and the many jobs it supports.
