General News
29 February, 2024
Terang product earns a prestigious award
TERANG’S Penny Welch has received an award for her dedicated work in the genetics industry, which is encouraging a new generation.
The genetics material export officer at Total Livestock Genetics has been honoured with a National Herd Improvement Association of Australia (NHIA) Young Achiever Award.
Ms Welch is the third female staff member from TLG to receive the award in the past four years, following in the footsteps of Emma Hallyburton and Helena Carter.
Her dedication to supporting young talents and advocating for the herd improvement industry earned her the prestigious acknowledgment.
She was nominated by TLG’s operations manager Ruth Barber, who said Ms Welch’s infectious passion for agriculture and her encouragement for the next generation was outstanding.
It’s a far cry from her teenage years, when she was one of only a few girls in a class of 30 studying agriculture at Emmanuel College in Warrnambool.
“I’m a townie by birth,” she said.
“I met a dairy farmer looking for a relief milker at an Emmanuel College open day.
“I had no previous connections.
“I started milking cows as a teenager and TLG came to the farm and flushed cows when I was about 17, and I thought it seemed pretty cool.”
She started working in the live export industry and moved into semen collection and then into exporting semen.
“I really enjoy the science behind it and what we can do to get bloodlines overseas to countries where they have never been,” Ms Welch said.
Now aged 33 and living in Terang, Ms Welch’s role involves working with colleagues to export product from TLG and private clients all around the world.
Outside her own professional success, she’s also made the effort to support the next generation of south west Victorian agricultural experts.
Ms Welch was on the committee for the Western District Youth Camp, which was revived in January 2024 after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re trying to get the next generation excited about the industry,” she said.
“There were a number of students who had never worked with dairy cattle before, and it was good to give them a calf to raise for a couple of days.”
Ms Welch also works with the Neil Porter Legacy. Genetics Australia is hosting a stall at the Neil Porter Legacy careers expo on March 5 in Warrnambool.
“I’m always trying to showcase what the industry has to offer,” Ms Welch said.
“When I started studying agriculture at Emmanuel College, I was one of three or four girls in a class of 30.
“When we ran the camp, it was mostly women.
“There has been a massive swing in the past 20 years.”
Ms Welch is also a former winner of the Power of Women in Dairying scholarship.
This allowed her to travel to the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin, and she continues to work with the power of women to promote their contribution to the industry.
As part of her award, Ms Welch has received funding for career development from NHIA and has invested in the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program.
“I want to gain more experience to go the extra step in the industry and in the company if I can,” she said.
Ms Welch said she is humbled by the award.
“It means a lot,” she said.
“It’s recognition from peers who I’ve looked up to my whole life which is incredible.”
NHIA also presented its inaugural award for outstanding contribution to industry to Christian Hickey, who has now retired from National Herd Development Co-op.
Read More: Terang