International Rural Women’s Day is a chance to recognise the important role rural women play in agriculture. This year, we’re sharing the stories of women who are working on the land and contributing more broadly to the industry they love.

Grower and industry leader

Juanita Hamparsum is a second-generation cotton farmer from the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales, where she works alongside her brother, John, on their family farm. In addition to farming, Juanita holds board positions with Cotton Seed Distributors and Namoi Cotton, among others, where she uses her experience as a grower and business owner to advocate for the industry.

Juanita is proud to be a leader in an industry renowned for innovation.

"Personally, I feel really excited because we're well known for our innovation and we're always at the front of the pack in terms of doing things differently," she says.

Sisters running the family farm

Kim and Prue Byrnes are fifth-generation cotton farmers from Moree, managing their family’s farm together. For Kim and Prue, working on the land is a way of life. Visitors to the farm are sometimes surprised to find that it’s Kim and Prue, not their father or a brother, running the operation. But for the sisters, it’s just part of their everyday routine.

"We’re just doing what we do every day, and it’s normal for us," says Kim. The cotton community is important to them as well. "It’s just we’re a close community, we all have the same goal," adds Prue.

For Juanita, Kim, and Prue, farming is simply what they do, combining their love for the land with a strong commitment to their work. Their stories reflect the everyday contributions of women across the Australian cotton industry where growers work together as a community to keep the industry moving forward.