Rozzie McKenna

The Confidence to Back Herself: Rozzie McKenna's Story

Winning the Zanda McDonald Award gave Rozzie McKenna (nee O’Reilly) something that has stayed with her long after the mentoring trips ended: the confidence to back herself.

When Rozzie won the Award, she was Breeding Manager at LAMBPRO, working with around 6,500 performance-recorded stud ewes. Professionally, she was building her career in genetics and sheep breeding. Personally, she and her husband John had an ambition to buy land and build a farming business of their own.

Four years later, both have grown significantly.

Rozzie is now Operations Manager at LAMBPRO, where the business has acquired more land, increased its client base by more than 30% and is joining around 8,000 performance-recorded stud ewes.

At the same time, she and John have built a diverse farming business of their own. They expect to finish around 10,000 lambs through their feedlot this year, operate a small livestock transport business and run Maronlea Genetics, where they joined 100 seedstock cows this year and aim to sell 30 yearling bulls. They have also purchased two blocks of land.

“When I won the Award, we joined 30 stud cows, didn’t have the truck business or the lamb feedlot, and only had a small lease block,” Rozzie says.

For her, the connection between the Award and that growth is clear.

“The confidence that both John and I gained from being part of this community has ultimately led us to tripling our business in size in the last four years.”

Learning from people prepared to share the hard lessons

Rozzie describes her Australian mentoring trip as the most influential part of her Award experience.

The trip took place between COVID lockdowns in 2021. With fellow winner Sam Vivian-Greer unable to travel from New Zealand, John was able to join Rozzie for the week.

“We were both sponges and learnt so much,” she says.

What stood out was not simply the calibre of the businesses they visited, but the openness of the people behind them. Hosts welcomed Rozzie and John into their businesses and shared experiences that went well beyond their successes.

“There was a common theme that often popped up with all of the hosts we visited: things don’t always go right. But it is the learnings we gain from when things don’t go to plan that are often the biggest wins.”

The conversations around the dinner table were just as valuable as the formal visits. Industry leaders spoke candidly about difficult decisions, business setbacks and personal challenges, giving Rozzie an insight into leadership that she continues to draw on.

“I didn’t know any of the hosts before winning the Award, yet they were all so welcoming and forthcoming and simply wanted to help you grow.”

One relationship that has endured is with Richard Rains, who helped coordinate Rozzie’s Australian mentoring trip. She describes him as an experienced and successful businessman who remains generous with his time and advice.

“He is always open to having a chat and offering words of wisdom, which I often draw on.”

Confidence to step forward

The Award also pushed Rozzie beyond areas where she already felt comfortable.

In the year following her win, she was invited to speak at several conferences and appeared on two agricultural podcasts, opportunities she had never experienced before.

“As soon as you become a finalist, your credibility changes,” she says. “You become part of this community that just opens up its arms and welcomes you in.”

Being surrounded by experienced agricultural leaders through the Award and its wider network helped Rozzie see leadership differently. Rather than leadership being about having all the answers, she saw people drawing on years of experience, including the mistakes and challenges along the way.

“The Zanda McDonald Award network is filled with exceptional leaders who are leading as a consequence of years of lived experience. These leaders inspire me to want to get more experience, so I can do the same and lead from lived experience.”

Turning growth into impact

Rozzie’s increasing responsibility at LAMBPRO has given her the opportunity to put that thinking into practice.

One of her proudest achievements has been developing a genetic benchmarking programme for LAMBPRO’s approximately 350 clients, who collectively produce well over one million lambs each year.

Since 2023, Rozzie has produced individual genetic benchmarking reports to help clients understand their progress and ensure they are achieving the genetic gain they are targeting year on year.

Her involvement beyond the business has also grown. Rozzie is a member of the HLN Farm Advisory Network and has spent the past two years contributing to the Zanda McDonald Award Summit organising committee.

But perhaps the strongest sign of the Award’s long-term impact is that Rozzie and John are now opening their own doors to the next generation.

They have hosted three years of Award winners during mentoring trips, giving them a complete insight into their farming and business operations. Each year, Rozzie has also brought together some of the district’s most successful farmers for dinner with the winners, creating the same opportunity for candid conversation and connection that she valued so highly during her own mentoring experience.

It is a deliberate way of paying forward what others gave so generously to her.

Building a business, and a family

The years since winning have also brought changes that extend well beyond Rozzie’s career.

She and John have welcomed two children,  “our greatest achievements yet”, while continuing to build their farming interests and businesses together.

Looking back at where they started, Rozzie believes the Award helped accelerate a journey they already wanted to take.

“Without winning the Award, I don’t think I would have ever met the incredible people I have through the Award or seen the calibre of their businesses,” she says.

“The growth that John and I have experienced in our own business may have been a lot slower, or we may never have had the confidence to go alone and build our own business.”

For Rozzie, that combination of confidence and connection is the Award’s most enduring value.

“By far, the most valuable long-term impact of winning the Award is the boost in confidence to back yourself, as well as access to a network of industry leaders that you can call upon whenever you need them.”

It is also why she believes programmes such as the Zanda McDonald Award have an important role in agriculture’s future.

“They boost young people’s confidence, open doors to endless opportunities, link young people with experienced leaders and inspire them to stay in agriculture — ultimately helping shape the future of our industry.”

And to the sponsors and supporters who make those opportunities possible, Rozzie’s message is simple.

“Thank you. Your investment in this Award is extremely generous. You are helping ensure we attract some of the brightest young minds to agriculture, ultimately helping to shape the industry and ensure its longevity.”