AN impressive lineup, including Mansfield’s Nicci Teitge, faced the judges in the state Rural Ambassador competition at this year’s Royal Melbourne Show, with the local young woman runner-up in a close contest.

Nicci earned a spot at the state finals after winning at the group level in Seymour on April 21 this year.

Flying the flag for the Mansfield A & P Society and the Central & Upper Goulburn Group, Nicci was full of praise for the competition and the calibre of the entrants, who all shared a passion for agriculture.

“All of us are from farming families and have worked on rural properties,” she said.

Representing the Midlands Group and Ballarat Show, Caitlin Grieve took out the VAS (Victorian Agricultural Shows) state finals award for Rural Ambassador and a place at next year’s national competition in Adelaide.

There were five finalists in Melbourne over the weekend of October 5 and 6, and they were all put through their paces.

All competitors go through a variety of challenges including interviews and public speaking.

They are judged on their local show involvement, general and rural knowledge, personalities and communication skills, ambition, goals and presentation skills.

“My strength is that I am confident speaking in public but my political and general knowledge was my weakness,” said Nicci.

But she is keen to work on that.

However, she said a funny moment was when one of the judges asked entrants who had won the 2024 AFL grand final, drawing a blank from them all.

The same judge had to concede that the competitors’ in-depth knowledge of the agricultural sector and their local shows was outstanding.

The winners were announced at the "Young Leaders" luncheon on Sunday, October 6 which included the national finals of the Rural Ambassador.

The state winners from this year's competition will travel to the Adelaide Royal Show next year.

Would Nicci recommend getting involved with your local show and entering the Rural Ambassador competition to other young people?

“One hundred per cent good fun and a way to network and open up other opportunities,” she said.

"The importance of the local ag show in a community was about bridging the gap between urban and rural Australia.

“I believe there is a huge gap between the people who make the food and those who consume it."

Nicci’s love for rural life began on her family’s small property 49 km southeast of Melbourne, where she learned to ride horses and care for livestock.

This passion was further fuelled by a visit to her sister at a remote cattle station in Queensland when she was only 16.

When she finished secondary school, Nicci worked on farms across Queensland, NSW, the Northern Territory, and Victoria, gaining valuable agricultural experience.

In 2023, she moved to Mansfield where she got involved with the Mansfield show society.

She is passionate about the importance of community for mental and physical well-being.

Recently, she organised a charity event that raised $30,000 for the Merrijig Campdraft Club and men’s mental health organisation “Are You Bogged Mate?”

Next month, she will ride a postie bike on a week-long trip through country NSW with her father and uncle to raise funds for Variety, the children’s charity, before helping with the Mansfield show in November.

Three months ago, Nicci became a farming relationship lead for Invest in Farming Cooperative, a national business.

Her role involves looking after broadacre and livestock clients.

Nicci has barely had time for her feet to touch the ground and is on the road to Queensland this week for work at the Beef Expo in Brisbane.

Her other passion is campdrafting, and with the Mansfield Show and then the Merrijig Campdraft next month, finding time to work her horses will be a challenge.

Nicci appreciated the support she received from VAS during the lead-up to and then the judging at the Royal.

VAS executive officer, Rod Bowles was impressed with the standard of entrants for the Victorian Rural Ambassador Award.

“We had five state finalists and each one of them had fantastic qualities which made it very hard for the judges to find a winner,” said Mr Bowles.

“It came down to the public speaking for which the topic was ‘What are the future risks to the success and longevity of agricultural shows and how do you think you can resolve these risks?’.

“Each of the finalists had some great ideas and the most common was the resources of volunteers,” he said.

“It is a great program (Rural Ambassador) to recognise and encourage the talented young people in our community that are involved with the shows and contribute in so many ways with local organisations,” said Mr Bowles.

“Each competitor has a story to tell and have achieved some amazing things but still only in their mid-20s,” he said.

The Rural Ambassador Award has been running for more than 20 years and took over from the Miss Showgirl to be a unisex competition.

“Another highlight was a composite team of two ambassadors and their partners competing in the Young Farmers Challenge which the Rural Ambassador team (including Nicci) were the winners that go onto next year’s national final in Adelaide,” said Mr Bowles.

Reflecting on her experience, Nicci said, “It definitely broadened my mind; living in Mansfield, one can get into a small town mentality, but it is a big, wide world, and everything we do does have an impact.”

Anyone interested in the Rural Ambassador and the Junior Ambassador competitions can enter at this year’s Mansfield Show on Saturday, November 16.

For details visit the Mansfield Show Society website or call 0429 507 649.