Born and bred on a property just outside of Smithtown, Josie is a PHD candidate, and the founder of Ability Agriculture.

At the age of five, her father Glen was involved in a truck accident and became paraplegic. While the family adopted extra responsibilities on the farm, Glen learnt how to adapt his farming practices to his individual needs.

Inspired by her father's story she created Ability Agriculture, which is a platform that provides a space for people to share stories, innovations and modifications for people with a disability on farms.

"I always was involved in social welfare stuff, because so many people helped out my family after my dad's accident, and it has always been my way of giving back," Josie said.

"There hasn't really been a voice or community in agriculture for people with disabilities. My dad has a disability and it just kind of wasn't acknowledged or part of a conversation which was really strange to me."

"I know the Australian attitude is like 'get on with the job' but I think if we have the conversation and normalise it, there are people who have a disability in the community that they can join and talk to."

After starting the Facebook page at the end of January this year, the group already has 1900 members and is growing fast. It also has an Instagram and twitter account.

" A cool thing for me is I'm Australian and I made this group, but it goes across borders, and I've done stories of people in New Zealand, and people in Canada and America reach out to me," Josie said.

"It has showed me how many people care about it and are passionate about it."

She is also is currently in the process of completing her PHD at the University of Sydney, focusing on nitrogen use efficiency in maize and barley.

In layman's terms, currently 50 per cent of fertiliser doesn't get absorbed by the plant, so by increasing the efficiency of nitrogen, less fertiliser needs to be used, meaning it's more cost effective for farmers and better for the environment as a whole.

"If you think about sustainability goals, ammonium nitrate fertilisers produce a ridiculous amount of greenhouse gases, and if you can increase the efficiency in the plant, the cost for the farmer goes down whilst also reducing the impact to the environment," she said.

Josie encouraged all women to get out there and chase their passions.

"If you are a female and you want to work in agriculture, I think there is so much opportunity to have such a great career development in this industry," she said.

"We are changing the perception that a rural woman is not just a farmer's wife, we are having a massive impact and output to the industry."

Josie is currently planning on moving to Mexico for three to six months to work at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) so she can further her scientific research.

She also has future goals of working with companies to bring more awareness and career development opportunities for people with disability in agriculture.

"Whatever version of a rural women you are, you can be proud of that, you are a wife, you are a mother, and you shouldn't be ashamed of that, but it shouldn't define you as well," Josie said.

Ability Agriculture Facebook link.

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