Maree Pobje of Dubbo to contest Young Woman of the Year final at Sydney Royal Easter Show

Mr Pobje was named a winner for the region during the weekend's Zone 6 final for The Land Sydney Royal AgShows NSW Young Woman competition, in Orange.

It came after she was named Dubbo's Young Woman of the Year at last year's show.

The weekend marked the first time the first time the Zone 6 final had been held in Orange since 1999.

There were 20 entrants and various events were held as part of the final including a dinner for 220 guests at the Orange Ex-Services' Club, which was also the finale of the zone level judging.

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AgShows NSW director, Tim Capp said at the dinner that the competition was about celebrating the entrants as leaders and contributors to their communities' future.

He said the objectives were to identify young ambassadors to promote the Sydney Royal Easter Show and the agricultural show movement across NSW.

"And it is to continue to be young rural women with purpose and ambition playing a significant role in the overall development of rural youth in NSW," he said.

"This program is designed to benefit the individual, local show society, their communities and agriculture.

"Along the way, the interview, presenting, communication and networking skills are all strengthened and this can and does create new life opportunities for young women."

The competition was also an experience for the judges, as ACM Agriculture NSW and national commercial manager,Matthew De La Hunty, attested.

"This was one of the most challenging and yet rewarding experiences I have had to do with a zone final and to just be able to choose three (to progress to Sydney) was a very difficult decision for all of us judges," he said.

The three who cemented their place in the state final at Sydney Royal, to be held April 6-23, are Dubbo Show Society's Ms Pobje, Sarah Wood of the Cowra Show Society and Joanna Balcombe of Canowindra Show Society.

Ms Pobje, studied a Bachelor of Accounting and Agribusiness and has taken on a position in the grain brokerage industry.

The avid gardener also likes to be self-sufficient and prides herself on being able to grow her own fruit and vegetables, while also growing Australian natives in her garden.

Through her role in the grain industry, she has relocated from Dubbo to Tottenham.

Both her remoteness and the prevalence of men in her industry are driving forces for her to forge a career and to encourage other young women to do the same in the grains industry.

Ms Wood works as a dental assistant and is studying a bachelor of animal science at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga.

Her ambitions include being selected for a Bachelor of Veterinary Science/Veterinary Biology at CSU and to work in rural and remote areas to provide specialised veterinary care.

She also aspires to work in a consultancy role for primary producers in reproduction and nutrition.

Canowindra's representative, Ms Balcombe, who also attended CSU Wagga Wagga, initially studying a Bachelor of Animal Science in 2018 before changing to a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in 2019, which she completed in 2022, has been a regular competitor in judging competitions for meat, wool, grain, fruit and vegetables.

In 2017 she was awarded state champion in meat sheep junior judging and went on to win the national championship at Royal Melbourne Show.

Joanna has also been involved with her local show, including as a competitor and helps on the family farm, in particular with her family's stud sheep.

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