GURLEY born-and-bred Katherine Munn has been named one of eight finalists in the Royal Agriculture Society Rural Achiever Program, which recognises emerging agricultural industry leaders working to make a difference in their local community, show and regional New South Wales.
Katherine, whose parents Brendan and Karen Munn are president and secretary of the Moree Show Society, grew up in the Moree district and was a long-time committee member of the Moree Show. She is now president of the Albury Show committee and, at 28, the youngest person in the Show’s 168-year history to hold the top spot.
“As president of the Albury Show, I’m trying to get some fresh, new faces involved to make sure the Show can keep on going for years to come and has a solid succession plan in place,” Katherine said. “I’m also bringing a bit of my experience from the Moree Show to try to incorporate more of an agricultural focus, which I think has fallen off a little in recent years due to a lack of committee members.
“We have excellent cattle and goat pavilions, but if I can bring back some sheep and wool competitions, and maybe a dog high-jump, I’ll be very happy,” she smiled.
Katherine has worked in the agriculture industry for the past seven years, and her love of rural Australia continues to grow.
Her mission is to champion agriculture across New South Wales, through rural and regional communities and agricultural shows.
“As I think many in my home town of Moree would agree, social licence to farm is a huge issue in Australia,” Katherine said.
“This was really highlighted for Moree during the 2017-20 drought, particularly around irrigation water.
“As the country becomes more urbanised, we start to lose touch with how agriculture works, and I think the RAS is doing some great work in bridging that knowledge gap and teaching the next generation about the great work that’s happening in agriculture to grow our food more sustainably. “For me, our local Show movement is a huge part of that work – we’re showcasing our local agriculture industry, and helping people learn more about their region in a really interactive way,” she said.
Katherine is passionate about all aspects of farming and agriculture.
She says getting the message out at rural shows across New South Wales – and nationwide – is paramount.
“Take the Young Farmers Challenge for example – it’s getting the community to have a go at small tasks that farmers and agriculture workers are doing every day,” Katherine said.
“This could be fencing, siphoning water, putting up cattle panels, or strapping down hay on a ute. Cattle parading and yard dog trials are other great ways for people to get up close to our agriculture industry, and begin to understand practices like low-stress stock handling.
“If everyone can learn a little about agriculture at their local Show, then we’re on the road to a more secure social licence to farm, and ultimately a more stable future for agriculture,” she said.
Katherine joins Tasha Hurley, Jacob Moriarty, Brooke Watts, Georgina Haire, James Gilmour, James Stephens and Roy Elder as an Agriculture Society Rural Achiever Program finalist.
All finalists are passionate young people making significant contributions to the future of the Australian agriculture industry.
They will participate in an all-expenses paid, eight-day program at the 2025 Sydney Royal Easter Show, where one will be named 2025 RAS Rural Achiever, a program proudly supported by RM Williams, Aussie Broadband, Akubra Hats and AgShows NSW.
