As nominations are sought for the 2015 FBD Women & Agriculture Awards, we speak to last year’s Agribusiness and Innovation Award winner Tracy Hamilton from Co Down and found out why she would urge readers to put themselves forward.

Tracy is a lady who always seems to be smiling. Smiling and keeping busy. Whether she is off to a board meeting or representing the Mash Direct brand at an industry event, she has a welcoming word. Maybe this was one of the reasons why a member of the Mash Direct marketing team proposed to put her forward for the FBD Women & Agriculture Awards in 2013.

“I agreed that the team could send in the application, but I didn’t think it would lead to the journey that followed,” says Tracy.

Although she and her family at Mash Direct have won a plethora of accolades, Tracy says this was the most important award she had even won.

“Sometimes us women don’t always believe in ourselves, but the whole experience was brilliant. The publicity alone was mind-blowing, we’ve even had people recognising us at events because of what they heard about the award. The company has had a lot of positive feedback since winning.”

While Tracy will always credit her team, here in Irish Country Living we have a sneaky suspicion that she is quietly proud of the fact that it was her award for the role she played at Mash Direct.

Tracy also spoke at Irish Country Living’s Women & Agriculture Conference the year she won.

“That was an experience in itself. It was lovely to meet so many other women from all over the country involved in agriculture. The diversity of those attending the conference and the strength of women was amazing.”

Tracy has certainly been very busy in the two years since the awards. Mash Direct now has an annual turnover of £14m and the farm has expanded from 230 acres in 2004, to over 1,400 acres today. The company has also focused on the export market, expanding its product range in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Tracy believes that “women need to shout louder. There are plenty of ladies working hard within the agricultural sector who are not receiving the exposure they deserve. The rewards from entering this competition are well worth it. You never know what might happen.”

Looking to enter the FDB Women & Agriculture Award or nominate someone you know? With a €2,500 prize for the winners, log on to www.farmersjournal.ie to find all the information and applications.