00:00Hi, my name is Hayley Warden and I'm honoured to be nominated for the Women in Agriculture Award.
00:04This is not something I ever thought I would be involved in, as I did not grow up on a
00:08farm,
00:09but I've always had a love of agriculture and livestock. I was given the opportunity to be
00:14involved with the family farm by my husband and father-in-law, and after a finance and business
00:19background, I then grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I've learnt so much in the last 10
00:24years being involved in the industry, from running a farm full-time, managing all the facets involved
00:29from critical decision-making, to sowing the crops, to managing the livestock, and now furthered my
00:36interest in agriculture by running our stock and station agency business that's owned by my husband
00:41and myself. When I thought about this award and what is involved, all I could think about was the
00:48thousands of women in agriculture doing exactly what I do every day, and that's who I'm doing this
00:53for, to promote all the women in agriculture who are managing the household, running the kids around,
00:58managing their accounts, their office work, they're sowing the crops, they're often kids in tow in the
01:04tractor, they're drafting the cattle, providing lunches, running kids around a sport, and often
01:09running a side business to provide extra income for the family. Women in agriculture would have to be
01:15the busiest, most resilient humans on earth. I am blessed that I've had a husband and a family who
01:20have supported me in this role and given me all the tools and resources and knowledge to pursue
01:25what I love to do, and that's agriculture. I also have an amazing network of supportive friends
01:31who are there, whether it to be help muster cattle down the road, help with the kids, or just have
01:35a
01:35wine on a Friday night and debrief. Everything we do, whether it's the farm with cattle, our stock and
01:41station agency business, or on the weekends when we get time, we like to pack the horses up and head
01:48to a
01:48camp draft. We live it, we breathe it, and that's what we love to do. It's the best life for
01:54our
01:54children growing up. They learn amazing skills, they have loads of common sense, and they're more than
01:59capable of doing anything, and that's by the age of 10. My children amaze me every single day, and I
02:05see
02:06what they can do and what they're capable of, and that's all to growing up on the land. I've been
02:11blessed
02:12in this life, and I get to do this life with my family, and it's thanks to my family that
02:19we're
02:19going to leave this for our next generation and to continue it on. I want to show my daughter being
02:25a
02:25woman in agriculture doesn't mean you have to choose between being a mum, a businesswoman, a farmer, a
02:30horsewoman, or a community member. Sometimes you're all of those things, often before lunch. Don't
02:36underestimate what you're capable of. You don't have to come from a farming background to belong in
02:40agriculture. Don't be afraid to learn something new or get behind the wheel yourself. Your role
02:46doesn't have to fit a traditional definition of what a woman in agriculture looks like. Put your
02:51hand up, have a go, don't be afraid, and take on something that initially seems outside your comfort
02:56zone. Thank you, everyone.
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