National Farmers' Federation

Advancing Agriculture. Empowering Changemakers.

The agricultural industry is evolving, and to stay ahead, we must continuously invest in the people and businesses that drive it. The AgriEmpower Scholarship Program is an investment in the future of our next generation of changemarkers, dedicated to helping young people enhance their capabilities and unlock new opportunities for growth.

The program offers financial support, resources, and access to National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and Woolworths networks, and a community of like-minded individuals, all with the goal of driving long-term success in the agriculture sector. As part of the $400,000 program, 20 scholarships of $20,000 each will be awarded.

The AgriEmpower Scholarship Program runs for 18 months allowing individuals an opportunity to deep dive into developing themselves and with the support of NFF & Woolworths.

Applications for round 2 are now closed. Round 3 will open towards the end of 2026 or early 2027.

The AgriEmpower Scholarship Program is designed for people who are already contributing to Australian agriculture and want to deepen their impact, but may not have had the means or opportunity to invest in their own professional development.

Now entering its second year, AgriEmpower provides leaders aged 25 – 40 with the support, confidence, and capability to strengthen the agricultural sector and to share their learnings with their communities. Each scholar receives up to $20,000 in funding, an 18‑month development journey, and access to national networks through the National Farmers’ Federation and Woolworths.

Over the 18-month program there are multiple opportunities for scholarship recipients, from speaking to a room full of ag leaders to going behind the scenes of Woolworths and meeting their team who work with producers to feed Australian shoppers.

The Scholarship can be used for a wide range of opportunities. If your intended purpose for the scholarship isn’t listed below but will support your contribution to enhancing the Australian Agricultural industry, then we encourage you to submit an application.

If you have any questions about the scholarship please feel free to reach out to Bec Wilde, Program Manager on rwilde@nff.org.au.

Meet the 2025 Cohort.

Jo Treasure

Jo is a fifth-generation Farmer in Cowra, Central West NSW. Together with her parents, she produces prime lamb, Black Angus beef and crops in their mixed-farming enterprise. Her overall aim has always been to highlight the opportunities for rewarding pathways after High School that don’t necessarily involve obtaining a degree ensuring that country kids are equipped with accurate information about farming practises through hands-on learning.  The scholarship will help Jo strengthen business foundations and upskill through the Farm Owners Academy and grow an innovative lamb trial linking local farms with schools.

Ewan Leighton

Ewan is focused on delivering sound and reliable agronomic advice and programs aimed at increasing productivity and sustainability within the NSW North Coast agriculture sector. Ewan hopes to introduce new ideas and inspiration to the intensive horticulture sector to help address some of the major production and sustainability challenges facing the industry including fertiliser overuse, runoff, and plastic waste.

Kate Lamason

Kate is a seafood entrepreneur, CPA accountant and industry leader based in Cairns, Queensland. As the founder of Little Tuna and East Coast Tuna Co., she is reigniting Australia’s tuna canning industry blending innovation, sustainability and regional manufacturing to create traceable, locally caught products. Kate will engage with world-leading experts in boutique canning, sustainable fisheries, value-added processing, and traceability as she works to revive Australia’s boutique seafood canning sector through global insights in sustainability, innovation, and value-added processing.

Liam Jess

Liam is a farmer living and farming in Ballyrogan, southwest Victoria, working across two family-run farms spanning broadacre cropping, prime lamb, fine wool and cattle enterprises. Liam will investigate cutting-edge precision agriculture technologies across Taiwan, Brazil, and North America—focusing on drone integration, crop monitoring, and application quality. His focus will be on scalable, cost-effective solutions that improve input efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and lift profitability across diverse Australian production systems.

Rhiannon Shilling

Dr Rhiannon is an agricultural scientist with a passion for delivering both crop and soil science innovations that make on-ground impact for Australian farmers. She was raised on a mixed cropping and livestock property and brings this first-hand experience to ensure her research is relevant and delivers on ground outcomes. Rhiannon will explore how quantum computing and sensor technologies can help address key challenges in broadacre cropping. Alongside this, she will complete the AICD Company Directors Course to enhance business expertise and foster stronger collaboration with commercial ag parters.

Andrew Powne

Andrew is originally from Bollon in southwest Queensland, has over 15 years’ experience in agriculture and currently leads CPC’s dryland cropping and cattle operations at Lundavra in QLDs Goondiwindi region. Andrews vision is to build a regenerative, carbon-positive supply chain, driven by innovation and collaboration. Andrew will use the AgriEmpower Scholarship to host a regional field day to share learnings and practical applications about carbon farming, natural capital accounting, and the use of organic waste products like nutrient-rich organic waste as fertiliser.

Bridgitte Brooks

Bridgitte is based in Midwest WA and together with her husband Jeremy, they run a broadacre dryland cropping business and she is also involved in her family farm focussing on wool production. Bridgitte is eager to further leadership skills to ensure sustainable succession in industry group roles as well and work towards developing a strong relationship with the fashion industry to ensure that wool is at the forefront of both designers and consumers mind to increase profitability and sustainability of the wool industry for generations to come.

Applicant guidelines​

Selection criteria

  • Must be 25 - 40 years old
  • Must work or be engaged in the Australian agricultural industry
  • Must intend to remain involved in the Australian agricultural industry
  • Must show previous commitment and self investment in the ag industry
  • Must be a permanent resident, Australian citizen or have full working rights in Australia

How to apply

Please click the ‘apply now’ button at the top of this webpage. Click through to start your application. Questions will range from basic information to outlining the difference you want to make in the Australian agricultural industry.

Please review the eligibility criteria before applying.

You can save your application and come back to it later but we strongly suggest writing out your answers in a separate document and copy and pasting the final version into the application form. 

What you'll gain

Hands on Learning: Attend two in-person workshops, one aligned with AgXchange Australia or NFF Leaders’ Summit, the other will be an immersive day with the Woolworths network.

Share Your Input: Upon completion of your scholarship, you must present a brief report to NFF and Woolworths, outlining the outcomes achieved and key learnings gained.  You may also have the opportunity to present your findings at a leading NFF event.

Professional Storytelling: Participate in a professional photoshoot (on-farm or in a business setting) and a media interview to share your journey and achievements.          

Build your Profile: Where opportunities arise, participate in media interviews to share your experiences and achievements. Provide your biographic details for the development of a case study highlighting your journey.

Join a Network: As Alumni, you’ll be invited to connect with other participants throughout the program.

Funding purpose: Invest in your future

The scholarship funding is designed to empower you to acquire new skills and networks that will directly drive productivity, profitability or sustainability within the agricultural community. You will need to provide a clear and achievable 18-month plan outlining how the funding will be utilised.          

Part of the funding will be held until the end of the program when approval has been granted for all program aspects being met. 

Unlock your potential: Funding examples

Agricultural innovations: Investigate different Agricultural innovations and how these can directly impact other young people and businesses in the industry.

Elevate your skills: Attend targeted courses, conferences and programs that can directly enhance your farm business and industry knowledge. 

Global insights: Gain International perspectives and insights through overseas travel, such as attending the World Farmers’ Organisation’s conference, to deepen your understanding of global agricultural trade negotiations.          

Develop a project: Research to develop a project to enhance the profitability, productivity and sustainability of the Australian Agricultural industry. 

Invest in you: Pursue professional and personal development opportunities to cultivate long-term success in the agriculture sector. 

Application questions

Your story:  Tell us about yourself, your background, and your current role in agriculture. (Word count guide 100 – 200 words)

Your vision: What inspired you to apply for the AgriEmpower Scholarship, and how do you see it contributing to your career? (Word count guide 200 – 300 words)  

Your funding plan: Please outline your proposed scholarship plan over the 18-month period. Please upload a draft budget outlining how the $20,000 (GST inc.) scholarship funds will be spent. (Word count guide 150 – 300 words)

Your contribution: How will you apply what you gain through this scholarship to support others in agriculture, strengthen leadership, and contribute to the broader goals of the NFF and Woolworths? (Word count guide 150 – 300 words)

NFF & Woolworths committment

Through the program, we aim to foster innovation and networks within the agricultural sector, ultimately leading to sustainable growth and increased success for farm businesses and greater impact from the agribusiness sector. By investing in the development of our community, we are committed to building a more robust and resilient agricultural industry that thrives on shared knowledge and collaborative advancement.

“The AgriEmpower Scholarship is an amazing opportunity to make a real difference, on both a personal and an industry-level,”  Hamish McIntyre, NFF President.

“The partnership between NFF and Woolworths is providing a huge advantage for passionate ag advocates to further develop their ideas.” he said.

Annette Karantoni, Woolworths Retail Managing Director added, ‘“We all rely on a strong ag industry to deliver the very best Australian food to our customers, and that needs to involve innovative, bold and diverse ideas and leaders who understand the sector and are strongly committed to its future.”