Young Tailem Bend woman is rising into agriculture leadership

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Jorja Gibbons, a local farmhand, is making moves to further her leadership as a women in agriculture.

She is one out of 15 selected to participate in a professional development program aimed at supporting inspirational South Australian women.

The program, Stepping into Leadership is run by Women Together Learning (WoTL), an organisation working to grow and inspire women in agribusiness.

Ms Gibbons works with around 30,000 sheep at Thornby, a farming property located at Sanderston.

“I love the industry and I love the animals,” she said.

“I think I’m really lucky out there because we have quite a big team of women, our whole sheep team is women at the moment.”

Ms Gibbons' boss, Fiona McGorman, was the reason she decided to apply for the program.

“My boss had done it before and she very highly recommended it, so she kind of suggested that we have a go and apply,” Ms Gibbons said.

"I really didn't think I was going to get in, but I was like, 'I'll give it a go.'"

"I guess the biggest thing was to push myself a bit outside my comfort zone and for some personal development."

The group will spend the next eight months building their leadership skills through face-to-face professional development, individual coaching, mentoring and webinars.

Since its launch in 2012, the program has supported over 160 women to dive into leadership roles in agriculture associated industries.

Ms Gibbons' passion for agriculture and her desire to grow professionally drove her to seize this opportunity.

“I’m super excited... hopefully I’ll get some good skills... that can put me through my career,” she said.

“I definitely want to stay in agriculture somehow, but I don’t know exactly how that looks yet.”

Clare Scriven, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development said she congratulates the 2025 cohort who are excelling in a diverse range of fields.
 
"The success of this program has continued to grow each year with graduates going from strength-to-strength."

"I look forward to watching the journey of the 2025 cohort over the coming years," she said.

• More information on the program: wotl.com.au/sil.