Today Mrs Newell is at Parliament House in Sydney for the awards ceremony and says she is "so proud to be in the running." She is a finalist with third generation cherry producer, Chris Hall of Wallendbeen, and third generation poultry farmer from Horsley Park, Matthew Fenech. There are two contenders for the title of Young Farmer of the Year, beef breeder Tim Carroll of The Bridge in the Central West, and Dorrigo dairy farmer Renae Connell. The winner of each category will win $4000 and runners-up receive $2000.

Mrs Newell shared in a recent Linga Longa Farm newsletter that "due to the bushfires, my scheduled on-farm interview with the judges for NSW Farmer of the Year was cancelled ... I had a phone interview with them, I was very nervous but I think I answered most of their questions."

"Marketing products and the personalities behind them is a strength of Lauren Newell from Linga Longa Farm," according to NSW Farmer of the Year.

"With her husband Greg, the couple manage a small Hereford herd of 60 breeders with a bull running year round to maintain consistent production.

"Mrs Newell employs a butcher to work in the farm's NSW Food Authority approved processing plant, breaking down bodies according to orders initially sourced at markets in Newcastle and Sydney, where there has been greater interest in local produce.

"A farmstay helps diversify their income, with guests educated about agriculture.

"While the farm's adoption of no-till cultivation and rotational grazing has meant pasture lasted longer with less rain, the whims of this season still made their presence felt, with the loss of calves.

"Meanwhile, customers came on board through social media sponsoring a cow's feed in return for getting to name her. The social media campaign has enabled Linga Longa Farm to retain its breeders.

"We were overwhelmed by the response," said Mrs Newell.

"A key development in the enterprise has been diversification into bone broth and the promotion of beef cuts other than primals so the whole beast is used.

"Mrs Newell recently developed a bone broth suitable for dogs and has identified a market for the product in Sydney."

The NSW Farmer of the Year and Young Farmer of the Year is an initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries and NSW Farmers and supported by SafeWork NSW and Australian Community Media, publisher of The Land.

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