Narelle Zanker's heart has always belonged to her herd of dairy cows.
As a shy kid growing up on her family's 4000-acre mixed farm near Mannum, on the Murray River in South Australia, she felt most at home in the milking shed.
While later working as an agriculture teacher, Ms Zanker loved bringing her students back to the farm to show them exactly how dinner gets on the table.
Her beloved herd has helped her win the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, a prestigious gong that recognises the crucial role of women in the regions.
Ms Zanker was recognised for co-founding Dairy Adventures, an agritourism business that hosts on-farm experiences and tours, with her husband Joel.
"I love cows - they have beautiful temperaments, different attitudes, different personalities," Ms Zanker told AAP on Wednesday morning.
"There's just something about cows, I've always had a heart for them."
Sharing her love of farming, the dairy industry and her animals, often with families visiting from the city, is a way to bridge the gap between the big smoke and the bush.
"A lot of people who come through are grandparents with their grandkids because they had those experiences when they were young," Ms Zanker said.
"Now they want their grandkids to have that same connection."
Education is also seen as key to building the $100 billion sector's next generation, particularly amid a national dearth of agriculture teachers.
Ms Zanker hopes to use the award and a linked grant to build a virtual classroom program for teachers around Australia.
Station hand and pilot Kelly Shotton from the Northern Territory was named runner-up for founding Stationly, which helps remote cattle properties monitor and manage their water supplies.
Ms Shotton developed the idea while doing laborious bore checks and realising how much information can be lost, even though "water is everything" in the outback.
Originally an electrician from Victoria, Ms Shotton said she fought to overcome sexism early in her career.
"I was once told by a student in my trade school class that maybe if I didn't get it, I should just quit, get an office job, and let the boys do it," she told the awards gala crowd at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday night.
"There was silence in the room, and no one said a thing.
"I wish I knew his name, because I would have invited him along here tonight."
Ms Shotton said women were dominant forces on stations and in aviation, two industries where her skills, curiosity and knowledge were warmly welcomed.
"If I can share my story to help other women, that's the main thing," she told AAP.
The award is in its 26th year and has given a platform to agricultural leaders, Indigenous innovators, social enterprise leaders, scientists and entrepreneurs.
Applications for the 2027 award opened on Wednesday.