Two of the rowdiest tables of the night, being those there to support the Hawkesbury Show and Camden Show Young Woman representatives, raised the Penrith Paceway function centre's roof with their cheers as the winners were announced on Saturday night.
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From an extremely competitive group of 11 entrants, it was Camden's Stephanie Hennings and Hawkesbury's Jillian Burgess who have progressed to the state finals stage of The Land Sydney Royal AgShows NSW Young Woman Competition to be held at Sydney Royal Easter Show in March, to represent Zone 2.
It was also the first time Penrith Show had hosted the zone finals, despite this year celebrating 170 years.
Stephanie, 24, has an Angus stud at Camden, which she fits in around commitments such as having completed a bachelor Agriculture and Bachelor of Agribusiness at the University of New England while also having done an international exchange to Purdue University, Indiana.
She is now employed as a farm services support officer with the A2 Milk company, which involves her working with the company's many farms throughout Australia.
Along with exhibiting cattle, she also competes in marathons, of the likes of Boston and London, along with volunteering as a mentor and steward in the show community.
Jillian, 25, is a PhD candidate with the livestock production group at the University of Sydney with a focus on feedlot cattle production, including researching beef cattle biotypes and how they match various end markets in feedlots.
She is also an Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition coach for the University of Sydney, on the RAS Youth Group and is a Meat and Livestock Australia red meat ambassador.
She has also kicked off her own cattle stud, and also is a barrel racer and campdrafter.
As one of last year's two Zone 2 representatives, Rubey Williams, Camden, said, those involved in their local show and Young Woman competitions in this zone were the frontline in spreading agriculture's message, being right on Sydney's doorstep and other rapidly growing suburban towns and cities.
This included along the South Coast and into the Southern Highlands, with the battle of disappearing farmland and the demise of industries like dairy farming, due to urban encroachment, proving a common theme and concern among the entrants.
The other entrants included: Paige Peters, Penrith Show; Makenzie Murphy, Luddenham Show; Alexa Talbot, Castle Hill Show; Grace McCrea, Dapto Show; Samantha Dunn, Albion Park Show; Grace McGlinchy, Kiama Show; Charlie Owens, Berry Show; Maddison Perry, Nowra Show; and, Darcy Tay, Milton Show.
The judges were communications officer at Hunter Local Land Services, Penny Evans, Vacy, AgShows NSW honorary secretary David Peters, Lithgow, and The Land's editor, Andrew Norris, Orange.
